Nanoprinting Quantum Emitters for Integrated Nanophotonics
Organic dye molecules play an important role in various areas of science and technology, ranging from pigments and lasers to advanced super-resolution microscopy techniques for examining biological samples. In the lab of Professor Vahid Sandoghdar at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL), researchers are pushing the boundaries of this field by exploring a specific group of dye molecules, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), with the potential to be integrated into future quantum technologies.
A gold-coated micropipette is used to print nanocrystals containing organic molecules as quantum emitters. The article reports nearly Fourier-limited and stable optical transitions of single molecules embedded in the printed crystals.© The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.
One of the most remarkable characteristics of PAHs is their ability to absorb and emit light of the highest color purity, limited only by the laws of quantum mechanics. This property, resulting from lifetime-limited electronic transitions, enables scientists to control and manipulate light at the quantum level efficiently, a much-needed functionality for various quantum devices.
In order to integrate PAHs into large quantum networks with real-life impact, researchers must overcome the significant challenge of precisely controlling both the resonance frequency and spatial positioning of the molecules around nanophotonic structures, such as optical waveguides and resonators. In a recent study published in ACS Nano, scientists from MPL reported a significant step towards this goal: the successful fabrication of dye molecules embedded in nanoprinted crystals which achieve near-lifetime-limited electronic transitions.
The study focuses on single dibenzoterrylene (DBT) molecules embedded in anthracene nano- and microcrystals. These crystals were precisely positioned on a glass substrate using a technique called electrohydrodynamic nanoprinting, developed in collaboration with the group of Professor Dimos Poulikakos at ETH Zurich. On cooling the crystals to liquid helium temperatures (around -270˚ C) and utilizing high-resolution fluorescence excitation spectroscopy, the researchers observed that the zero-phonon lines (ZPLs) of the DBT molecules were nearly as narrow as those found in bulk crystals. This finding demonstrates that the nanoprinted crystals retain the optical qualities essential for quantum applications, with the added advantage of controlling their position.
„The ability to fabricate photostable, high-quality quantum emitters with precise spatial control opens up exciting possibilities for the development of more complex interconnected nanophotonic quantum systems.“, says Mohammad Musavinezhad, the doctoral student responsible for the project. "These systems are not only critical for quantum technologies but also offer a unique platform to investigate quantum cooperativity in a solid-state system."
Scientific Contact
MPI for the Science of Light
Nano-Optics Division
Prof. Vahid Sandoghdar
sandoghdar-office@mpl.mpg.de
Original Publication
High-Resolution Cryogenic Spectroscopy of Single Molecules in Nanoprinted Crystals. Mohammad Musavinezhad, Jan Renger, Johannes Zirkelbach, Tobias Utikal, Claudio U. Hail, Thomas Basché, Dimos Poulikakos, Stephan Götzinger, and Vahid Sandoghdar. ACS Nano 2024 18 (33), 21886-21893
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c02003
@SandoghdarLab
