Hybrid integrated optical waveguides in glass for enhanced visible photoluminescence of nanoemitters

TL;DR

This paper presents a hybrid integrated optical device in glass that enhances visible photoluminescence of nanoemitters by improving electromagnetic field confinement, enabling advanced applications in quantum information and sensing.

Contribution

It introduces a novel hybrid waveguide structure operating in the visible spectrum, combining high-refractive-index layers with ion-exchanged glass to improve light-matter interactions.

Findings

Electromagnetic field confinement increased by up to 11 times.

Enhanced photoluminescence signals from nanocrystals.

Potential applications in quantum information and optical sensing.

Abstract

Integrated optical devices able to control light matter interactions on the nanoscale have attracted the attention of the scientific community in recent years. However, most of these devices are based on silicon waveguides, limiting their use for telecommunication wavelengths. In this contribution, we propose an integrated device that operates with light in the visible spectrum. The proposed device is a hybrid structure consisting of a high-refractive-index layer placed on top of an ion-exchanged glass waveguide. We demonstrate that this hybrid structure serves as an efficient light coupler for the excitation of nanoemitters. The numerical and experimental results show that the device can enhance the electromagnetic field confinement up to 11 times, allowing a higher photoluminescence signal from nanocrystals placed on its surface. The designed device opens new perspectives in the generation of new optical devices suitable for quantum information or for optical sensing.