Planar antenna designs for efficient coupling between a single emitter and an optical fiber

Year: 2019

Authors: Soltani N., Agio M.

Autors Affiliation: Univ Siegen, Lab Nanoopt, D-57072 Siegen, Germany; Univ Siegen, Res Ctr Micro & Nanochem & Engn CU, D-57072 Siegen, Germany; Natl Res Council CNR, Natl Inst Opt INO, I-50125 Florence, Italy.

Abstract: Fluorescence detection is a well-established readout method for sensing, especially for in-vitro diagnostics (IVD). A practical way to guide the emitted signal to a detector is by means of an optical fiber. However, coupling fluorescence into a fiber is challenging and commonly lacks single-molecule sensitivity. In this work, we investigate specific fiber geometries, materials and coatings that in combination with a planar Yagi-Uda antenna reach efficient excitation and collection. The simulation of a practical setting determines more than 70% coupling efficiency for a horizontally oriented dipole, with respect to the planar antenna, emitting at 700 nm and embedded in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Moreover, the coupling efficiency would only scale by a factor of 2/3 for emitters with random orientation, as a result of the antenna geometry. These findings are relevant for single-molecule detection with fiber optics and have implications for other applications involving the coupling of light with nano-scale sources and detectors. Scanning the surface of a sample with such fibers could also be advantageous for imaging techniques to provide a low background noise and a high resolution.

Journal/Review: OPTICS EXPRESS

Volume: 27 (21)      Pages from: 30830  to: 30841

More Information: Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung (13N14746); University of Siegen.
KeyWords: wave-guide, optical antennas, single molecules, fluorescence detection
DOI: 10.1364/OE.27.030830

Citations: 8
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