Robert Brückner

Parabolic polarization splitting of Tamm states in a metal-organic microcavity

We observe hybrid states of cavity photons and Tamm plasmons in an organic microcavity with an incorporated thin silver layer of increasing thickness up to 40 nm. Via μ-photoluminescence spectroscopy, we investigate their angular dependence. At oblique angles, we observe a TE-TM polarization splitting of more than 40 meV for each mode. An analytical model is developed to describe the coupling of Tamm plasmons and cavity photons and to account for the splitting of the orthogonally polarized resonances.

Dispersion tomography of an organic photonic-wire microcavity

We investigate the complex mode structure in microcavities with multidimensional optical confinement. Our active material is composed of the organic blend Alq3:DCM, embedded into a microcavity containing arrays of photonic wires, facilitating strong lateral confinement. We directly record the energy dispersion for one k→ vector component while the second lateral k→ component is scanned. Thereby, we obtain a detailed dispersion tomogram of the cavity resonances, showing excellent agreement with our optical model. We are able to exceed the lasing threshold and observe stimulated emission not only from the bottom of the cavity parabola, but also from higher order modes.

Photonic confinement in laterally structured metal-organic microcavities

We investigate the formation of optical modes in organic microcavities with an incorporated perforated silver layer. The metal leads to a formation of Tamm-plasmon-polaritons and thus separates the sample into metal-free or metal-containing areas, supporting different resonances. This mode splitting is exploited to confine photons in elliptic holes and triangular cuts, forming distinctive standing wave patterns showing the strong lateral confinement. A comparison with a Maxwell-Bloch based rate equation model clearly shows the nonlinear transition into the lasing regime. The concentration of the electric field density and inhibition of lateral loss channels in turn decreases the lasing threshold by up to one order of magnitude, to 0.1 nJ. By spectroscopic investigation of such a triangular wedge, we observe the transition from the unperturbed cavity state to a strongly confined complex transversal mode. Such a structured silver layer can be utilized in future for charge carrier injection in an electrically driven organic solid state laser.

Mode discretization in an organic microcavity including a perforated silver layer

Two optical Tamm plasmons and a discretized microcavity state are observed simultaneously in an organic microcavity by angle-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. The Tamm plasmons form as a result of a 40 nm silver layer placed between the bottom distributed Bragg reflector and the λ/2 cavity layer. This silver layer is perforated by round holes of a few microns size, generating optical mesas from which discretized microcavity states are observed concurrently. The discretization and the intensity of the different states are studied as a function of angle and hole diameter and compared to analytical calculations.

New concept for organic light-emitting devices under high excitations using emission from a metal-free area

In this work, a new organic light-emitting device (OLED) structure is proposed that allows light-emission from a metal-free device region, thus reducing the hurdles towards an electrically pumped organic solid state laser (OSL). Our design concept employs a stepwise change from a highly conductive but opaque metal part to a highly transparent but less conductive intrinsic emission layer. Here, the high current densities are localized to an area of a few micrometer in square, which is in the range of the mode volume of the transverse mode of an organic vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). Besides these experimental results, we present findings from simulations which further support the feasibility of our design concept. Using an equivalent circuit approach, representing the current flow in the device, we calculate the time-dependent length of the emission zone and give estimations for appropriate material parameters.

Electrical investigations of hybrid OLED microcavity structures with novel encapsulation methods

An electrical driven organic solid state laser is a very challenging goal which is so far well beyond reach. As a step towards realization, we monolithically implemented an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) into a dielectric, high quality microcavity (MC) consisting of two Distributed Bragg Reectors (DBR). In order to account for an optimal optical operation, the OLED structure has to be adapted. Furthermore, we aim to excite the device not only electrically but optically as well. Different OLED structures with an emission layer consisting of Alq3:DCM (2 wt%) were investigated. The External Quantum Efficiencies (EQE) of this hybrid structures are in the range of 1-2 %, as expected for this material combination. Including metal layers into a MC is complicated and has a huge impact on the device performance. Using Transfer-Matrix-Algorithm (TMA) simulations, the best positions for the metal electrodes are determined. First, the electroluminescence (EL) of the adjusted OLED structure on top of a DBR is measured under nitrogen atmosphere. The modes showed quality factors of Q = 60. After the deposition of the top DBR, the EL is measured again and the quality factors increased up to Q = 600. Considering the two 25-nm-thick-silver contacts a Q-factor of 600 is very high. The realization of a suitable encapsulation method is important. Two approaches were successfully tested. The first method is based on the substitution of a DBR layer with a layer produced via Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). The second method uses a 0.15-mm-thick cover glass glued on top of the DBR with a 0.23-μm-thick single-component glue layer. Due to the working encapsulation, it is possible to investigate the sample under ambient conditions.

Threshold reduction by multidimensional photonic confinement in metal-organic microcavities

Due to their geometry, optical microcavities allow strong confinement of light between the mirrors and promise single mode operation at lowest possible lasing thresholds. Nevertheless, such devices suffer from losses not only due to parasitic absorption of the active or mirror layers, but especially via outcoupling of leaky and waveguided modes within the active layer. In this work, we present an organic microcavity sandwiched between high quality dielectric distributed Bragg reflectors. A highly conductive silver layer of 40nm thickness is added next to the active layer, leading to the formation of Tamm-Plasmon-Polaritons (TPP), one replacing the original cavity mode and shifting its resonance to the red, another one emerging from the long-wavelength sideband and moving to the blue. To avoid parasitic absorption introduced by such contacts, the silver layer is structured on the micrometer-scale using photolithography, yielding separated areas supporting either original cavity mode or red shifted TPP-resonances. This separation leads to a strong spatial trapping of the modes to only their resonant regions on the sample and can in turn be exploited to achieve complete three-dimensional confinement of photons. In elliptic holes produced in the metal layer, we observe the formation of Mathieu-Modes, leading to a reduction of the lasing threshold by six times. Facilitating triangular cuts in the silver layer, highly confined standing modes develop in the system, allowing a precise optimization of the spatial mode extension and reducing the threshold even further down to one order of magnitude below the threshold of an unstructured organic cavity. These results show that the introduction of absorptive metals, needed for the realization of an electrically driven laser, can in turn be harnessed to improve the characteristics of the device.

Optically pumped lasing of an electrically active hybrid OLED-microcavity

Highly conductive electrodes are a prerequisite for electrically pumped organic lasers. We investigate the influence of very thin metal contacts in an electrically active organic microcavity. We test different deposition techniques and seed layers to decrease the thickness of the metal layers and reduce possibly harmful absorption. For such very thin contacts, the spectral position of the modes is modeled by simulated modes using the transfer-matrix-algorithm. The input-output characteristics of the device without, with bottom, with top, and with both metal layer(s) are recorded. These measurements allow us to understand and improve the impact on the functionality. With these results and the help of a theoretical approximation, we determine the minimal current density needed to reach the lasing threshold for electrical pumping in this sample structure.

Photonic lattices in organic microcavities: Bloch states and control of lasing

Organic microcavities comprising the host:guest emitter system Alq3:DCM offer an interesting playground to experimentally study the dispersion characteristics of laterally patterned microlasers due to the broad emission spectrum and large oscillator strength of the organic dye. By structuring of metallic or dielectric sublayers directly on top of the bottom mirror, we precisely manipulate the mode structure and influence the coherent emission properties of the device. Embedding silver layers into a microcavity leads to an interaction of the optical cavity-state in the organic layer and the neighboring metal which red-shifts the cavity resonance, creating a Tamm-plasmon-polariton state. A patterning of the metal can in turn be exploited to fabricate deep photonic wells of micron-size, efficiently confining light in lateral direction. In periodic arrays of silver wires, we create a Kronig-Penney-like optical potential in the cavity and in turn observe optical Bloch states spanning over several photonic wires. We modify the Kronig-Penney theory to analytically describe the full far-field emission dispersion of our cavities and show the emergence of either zero- , π-, or 2π- phase-locking in the system. By investigating periodic SiO2 patterns, we experimentally observe stimulated emission from the ground and different excited discrete states at room temperature and are able to directly control the laser emission from both extended and confined modes of the photonic wires at room-temperature.

Organic narrowband NIR-detectors (Conference Presentation)

Organic materials offer fascinating properties for realizing optoelectronic devices such as organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) and solar cells (OSCs). The performance of the latter is mainly determined by the low operating voltage with respect to the optical band gap and the limited absorption properties of organic materials in the near infrared (NIR) spectral region. We utilize the weakly absorbing charge transfer state to fabricate a narrowband optical sensor in the NIR up to 1500 nm. With very high and competitive detectivities, we are not only entering the Indium-Gallium-Arsenide-dominated world but demonstrate an integrated spectroscopic sensor for accurate moisture detection.