Radiative lifetime modification of LaF 3:Nd nanoparticles embedded in 3D silicon photonic crystals

Abstract

The photonic density of states (DOS) of a silicon inverse photonic crystal is probed using the radiative emission of LaF 3:Nd nanoparticles. These emitters are embedded as a thin planar defect within the interior of photonic crystals with varying silicon filling fractions. The alignment of the narrow emission of the particles with the high and low photonic DOS regions is achieved. The time-resolved measurements reveal that the radiative lifetime of the embedded Nd 3+ is strongly influenced by the surrounding DOS provided by the silicon inverse opals. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.