Bioinspired patterned photonic junctions for plasmon-enhanced metal photoluminescence and fluorescence: design of optical cavities for near-infrared electronics

Photonic junctions with their plasmonic components can outstandingly amplify the light-matter interactions, boost the localized surface plasmon resonance and tightly concentrate the optical electromagnetic fields. The mechanisms of plasmon-enhanced metal photoluminescence (PL) and especially fluorescence (FL) emission enhancement of plasmonic junctions (PJs) in optoelectronic devices are still undisclosed in many aspects. Herewith, various bioinspired designs of colonial PJs are investigated, where the geometrical features of Au nanoantennas are originated from diatoms patterns. Developed PJs are based on few nanometer thick heterostructured metal oxide spacer semiconductors sandwiched between Au antennas. PL and dynamic FL spectroscopy measurements are carried out to investigate and understand the underlying effects behind the tangible increase of absorption of IR-lights (70%), outstanding increase of PL emissions (43 times) and dynamic FL characteristics of optical cavities. Considerable high-level PL emission of dot-like PJs is attributed to the development of horizontal Fabry-Perot cavities and the higher Purcell factors of fabricated photonic structures. The obtained data suggest that two-dimensional (2D) heterostructured metal oxide spacer constructively improves the photonic characteristics of PJs. Tailoring plasmonic dot-like PJs into functional photodetectors resulted in 27.4 A/W photoresponsivity, 44% external quantum efficiency (EQE) and ultra-fast microsecond photoresponse at near-infrared (IR) light illumination (similar to 800 nm). Findings demonstrate the outstanding plasmonic structures' capability for further development of novel IR optoelectronics. (C) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study investigates the bioinspired designs of colonial PJs and demonstrates their superior performance in absorbing infrared light and enhancing fluorescence emissions. The results reveal that 2D heterostructured metal oxide spacers significantly improve the photonic characteristics of PJs, offering new insights for the development of infrared optoelectronic devices.