Semiconductor nanotubes (SNTs) represent a new class of nanotechnology building blocks. They are formed by a combination of bottom–up and top–down approaches, using strain induced self-rolling mechanism from epitaxially grown heterojunction films. This review summarizes several aspects of this emerging field, including the SNT formation process, its dependence on crystal orientation, strain dir...

Enhanced synthetic control of the morphology, crystal structure, and composition of nanostructures can drive advances in nanoscale devices. Axial and radial semiconductor nanowires are examples of nanostructures with one and two structural degrees of freedom, respectively, and their synthetically tuned and modulated properties have led to advances in nanotransistor, nanophotonic, and thermoelec...

Rare-earth-doped laser materials show strong prospects for quantum information storage and processing, as well as for biological imaging, due to their high-Q 4f↔4f optical transitions. However, the inability to optically detect single rare-earth dopants has prevented these materials from reaching their full potential. Here we detect a single photostable Pr(3+) ion in yttrium aluminium garnet na...

We approach nanophotonic computing on the basis of optical near-field interactions between quantum dots. A table lookup, or matrix-vector multiplication, architecture is proposed. As fundamental functionality, a data summation mechanism and digital-to-analog conversion are experimentally demonstrated using CuCl quantum dots. Owing to the diffraction-limit-free nature of nanophotonics, these arc...

The ease of integration and a large second-order nonlinear coefficient of atomically thin layered two-dimensional (2D) materials presents a unique opportunity to realize second-order nonlinearity in a silicon compatible integrated photonic system. However, the phase-matching requirement for second-order nonlinear optical processes makes the nanophotonic design difficult. We show that by nano-pa...

The authors present the design and fabrication of a nanophotonic waveguide and photodetector integrated device by molecular self-assembly of nanocrystal quantum dots (QD) and two different nano-gap formation techniques, namely electromigration-induced break-junction technique and electron beam lithography nano-gap patterning. A QD waveguide with 50 nm width integrated with a nano-scale QD photo...

Nanophotonic structures have attracted attention for light trapping in solar cells with the potential to manage and direct light absorption on the nanoscale. While both randomly textured and nanophotonic structures have been investigated, the relationship between photocurrent and the spatial correlations of random or designed surfaces has been unclear. Here we systematically design pseudorandom...

Abstract Enhancement of magneto-optical effects in hybrid magneto-plasmonic systems has attracted considerable recent attention because their potential for building non-reciprocal nanophotonic devices. Quantitative understanding the fundamental origin and contributing mechanisms enhancement is crucial optimizing applications. Here, we unravel different physical origins giant Faraday rotation el...

We describe recently proposed light-powered nanomachines and all-optical self-adaptive optomechanical circuits that rely on the interplay of resonantly-enhanced optical forces and the manipulation of optical resonances by mechanical degrees of freedom in nanophotonic structures [1]. This new class of devices facilitates resonantly tailored optomechanical potentials, enabling positional control ...

We study the effects of metal-coated fiber near-field probes on the performance of nanophotonic devices. Employing a heterodyne near-field scanning optical microscope and analyzing transmission characteristics, we find that a metal-coated probe can typically introduce a 3 dB intensity loss and a 0.2 rad phase shift during characterization of a straight waveguide made in a silicon-on-insulator s...