DNA-Assembled Plasmonic Waveguides for Nanoscale Light Propagation to a Fluorescent Nanodiamond

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b03524
• Publication Date: 2018-10-19T17:20:17Z
• Authors: Fatih N. Gür; Cillian P. T. McP...; Søren Raza; Martin Mayer; Diane J. Roth; Anja Maria Steiner; Markus Löffler; Andreas Fery; Mark L. Brongersma; Anatoly V. Zayats; Tobias A. F. König; Thorsten L. Schmidt
• Keywords: Nanodiamond; DNA origami; Cathodoluminescence; Nanophotonics

Plasmonic waveguides consisting of metal nanoparticle chains can localize and guide light well below the diffraction limit, but high propagation losses due to lithography-limited large interparticle spacing have impeded practical applications. Here, we demonstrate that DNA-origami-based self-assembly monocrystalline gold nanoparticles allows be decreased ∼2 nm, thus reducing 0.8 dB per 50 nm at a deep subwavelength confinement 62 (∼λ/10). We characterize individual with nanometer-scale resolution by electron energy-loss spectroscopy. Light toward fluorescent nanodiamond is directly visualized cathodoluminescence imaging spectroscopy on single-device level, thereby realizing nanoscale manipulation energy conversion. Simulations suggest longitudinal plasmon modes arising from narrow gaps are responsible for efficient waveguiding. With this scalable DNA origami approach, micrometer-long lengths could achieved, enabling applications in information technology, sensing, quantum optics.