Abstract
Optical nanoantennas are capable of enhancing the near-field intensity and confining optical energy within a small spot size. We report a novel metal–dielectric–metal coupled-nanorods antenna integrated on the facet of a quantum-cascade laser. Finite-difference time-domain simulations showed that, for dielectric thicknesses in the range from 10 to , peak optical intensity at the top of the antenna gap is 4000 times greater than the incident field intensity. This is 4 times higher enhancement compared to a coupled metal antenna. The antenna is fabricated using focused ion-beam milling and measured using modified scanning probe microscopy. Such a device has potential applications in building mid-IR biosensors.
© 2010 Optical Society of America
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