Plasmons can be excited by inelastic tunneling of electrons [1,2]. This provides a broadband source of plasmons that can be integrated into plasmonic nanocircuitry. The emission wavelength and bandwidth can be controlled via plasmonic resonances which enhance the inelastic tunneling process.
Here we present an electrically-driven multi-element Yagi-Uda antenna that emits light into one specific direction [3]. Furthermore, we discuss mode-specific electric excitation of plasmons in a two-wire transmission line and its application towards polarization-controlled nano-light sources.
Antennas play a key role in today’s wireless communication networks and it would be hugely beneficial to extent their use into the optical regime. However, classical signal generators do not work at those frequencies and therefore new concepts are needed. Here, we demonstrate how to electrically drive an optical nanoantenna using an atomic-scale feed gap provided by a gold-particle pushed into a precisely tailored interstice between two antenna arms. Upon applying a voltage, inelastic electron tunneling leads to current fluctuations in the optical regime and, hence, light emission. We show how the antennas spectrally shape the emission, how the exact particle position influences these properties and how to increase the directivity via Yagi-Uda arrangements or plasmonic waveguides structures in order to make electricallydriven optical nanoantennas more suitable for on-chip data communication.
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