Accurate Transfer of Individual Nanoparticles onto Single Photonic Nanostructures

Controlled integration of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) onto photonic nanostructures enables realization of complex devices for extreme light confinement and enhanced light-matter interaction. Extreme light confinement can be achieved combining Nanoparticle-on- Mirror (NPoM) nanocavities [1]–[2], with the light manipulation capabilities of micron-scale metallic antennas and/or photonic integrated waveguides [3]. However, metallic NPs are usually deposited via drop-casting, which prevents their accurate positioning. Here we present a methodology for precise transfer and positioning of individual NPs onto different photonic nanostructures. The method is based on soft lithography printing that employs elastomeric stamp-assisted transfer [4], of individual NPs onto a single nanostructure. It can also parallel imprint many individual NPs with high throughput and accuracy in a single step. Raman spectroscopy confirms enhanced light-matter interactions in the resulting devices. Our method mixes top-down and bottom-up nanofabrication and shows the potential of building complex photonic nanodevices for applications ranging from enhanced sensing and spectroscopy to signal processing.