Angular emission from 1D and 2D meso- and nano-structures: Probed by dual-channel Fourier-plane microscopy

Abstract

The optical emission characteristics from individual nanostructures such as organic waveguides, plasmonic nanowires and 2D materials such as MoS2 can vary depending on the nature of interface on which they are grown or deposited. We constructed a dual-channel Fourier-plane microscopy, and studied the directional emission characteristics of an individual organic mesowires, Ag nanowires and MoS2 nanolayers through the glass substrate or air superstrate. Specifically, we show the ability of our microscope to quantitatively probe the radial and azimuthal angular spread in the waveguided PL from the distal ends of the mesowire across the interface without changing its position or orientation. Furthermore, from the guided PL spectral signatures, we show that the finesse of the waveguided Fabry-Perot resonance depends on whether the measurement was performed through the substrate or superstrate. To reveal the versatility of our microscope, we have quantified angular distribution of directional light scattering from the distal end of Ag nanowire at an interface, and angular distribution of excitonic emission from MoS2 nanolayers through a glass substrate. Our work highlights the capability of dual-channel Fourier microscope in quantifying the angular emission characteristics from individual optical antenna structures at an interface, and can be extrapolated to nonlinear organic nanophotonic regimes.