Molecular aggregate for optically-pumped nonreciprocal exciton devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023054578-A1
Application number	US-202117443285-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 23, 2021
Priority date	Jul 23, 2021
Publication date	Feb 23, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an optically active medium comprising dye aggregates and optionally a nucleotide oligomer or other nucleotide-based architecture, which may be used in in optical devices, in particular nonreciprocal devices (i.e., devices in which energy flows in one direction only), that can respond to differences in the polarization of light. An analysis is presented of the energy levels and the strengths of the optical transitions (changes in energy states) for a three-chromophore (dye) aggregate in which the chromophores are coupled with a J-like (i.e., end-to-end) stacking. Specific devices and methods of use are also disclosed herein.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 . An optically active medium for an optical device comprising a chromophore aggregate of two or more strongly coupled chromophores.

2 . The optically active medium of claim 1 , wherein the chromophore is one or more of a xanthene, fluorescein, rhodamine, oregon green, eosin, Texas red, cyanine, indocarbocyanine, oxacarbocyanine, thiacarbocyanine, merocyanine, squaraine, Seta, SeTau, Square dyes, naphthalene, dansyl, prodan, coumarin, oxadiazole, pyridyloxazole, nitrobenzoxadiazole, benzoxadiazole, anthracene, anthraquinone, DRAQ5, DRAQ7, CyTRAK Orange, pyrene, cascade blue, oxazine, Nile red, Nile blue, cresyl violet, oxazine 170, acridine, proflavin, acridine orange, acridine yellow, arylmethine, auramine, crystal violet, malachite green, tetrapyrrole, porphin, phthalocyanine, and bilirubin, and/or a combination thereof.

3 . The optically active medium of claim 1 , wherein the chromophores of the chromophore aggregate are configured more or less end-to-end.

4 . The optically active medium of claim 3 , wherein the chromophore aggregate is a dimer.

5 . The optically active medium of claim 3 , wherein the chromophore aggregate is a trimer.

6 . The optically active medium of claim 5 , wherein the trimer has a triangular configuration.

7 . The optically active medium of claim 1 , wherein the chromophore aggregate is a population of aggregates.

8 . The optically active medium of claim 7 , wherein the population of aggregates is configured randomly.

9 . The optically active medium of claim 1 , wherein up to about 1% of the chromophore aggregates are configured perpendicular to the propagation of light.

10 . The optically active medium of claim 7 , wherein up to about 50% of the chromophore aggregates are configured perpendicular to the propagation of light.

11 . The optically active medium of claim 7 , wherein up to about 90% of the chromophore aggregates are configured perpendicular to the propagation of light.

12 . The optically active medium of claim 1 , wherein at least one chromophore of the aggregate is configured to have increased steric hindrance.

13 . The optically active medium of claim 12 , wherein at least one chromophore of the aggregate is modified by a rotaxane ring.

14 . The optically active medium of claim 13 , wherein the rotaxane ring is further substituted.

15 . The optically active medium of claim 1 , further comprising a nucleotide oligomer and one or more chromophores tethered to the nucleotide oligomer.

16 . The optically active medium of claim 15 , wherein the nucleotide oligomer is made of RNA, DNA, BNA, LNA, PNA, and/or UNA, and/or a combination thereof.

17 . The optically active medium of claim 16 , wherein the nucleotide oligomer is made of DNA.

18 . The optically active medium of claim 17 , wherein said nucleotide oligomer is a nucleotide brick.

19 . The optically active medium of claim 18 , wherein the nucleotide brick is about 24 to 42 nucleotides in length.

20 . The optically active medium of claim 17 , wherein the number of nucleotide bricks is between 1 and about 5,000 bricks.

21 . The optically active medium of claim 20 , wherein the nucleotide bricks self-assemble into a nucleotide canvas.

22 . The optically active medium of claim 1 , wherein a first chromophore of an aggregate is covalently bound to a second chromophore in the same aggregate.

23 . An optical device, comprising:
a signal light; and an optically active medium of claim 1 .

24 . The optical device of claim 23 , wherein the device is an optical isolator.

25 . The optical device of claim 23 , wherein the device is an optical circulator.

26 . The optical device of claim 23 , wherein the device is an optical switch.

27 . The optical device of claim 23 , further comprising a circularly polarized pump light.

28 . The optical device of claim 27 , further comprising a dichroic mirror configured to colinearly combine the signal light with the pump light.

29 . The optical device of claim 27 , further comprising a dichroic mirror configured to separate the signal light with the pump light.

30 . The optical device of claim 27 , further comprising a first dichroic mirror and a second dichroic mirror, wherein the first dichroic mirror is configured to colinearly combine the pump light with the signal light and the second dichroic mirror is configured to separate the pump light with the signal light.

31 . A method of preventing the backflow of a light, comprising:
introducing a circularly polarized light to an optically active medium of claim 1 .

32 . The method of claim 31 , wherein the circularly polarized light is a signal light.

33 . The method of claim 31 , further comprising colinearly combining the circularly polarized light with a signal light before introducing the light to the optically active media.

34 . The method of claim 33 , wherein a dichroic mirror is configured to combine the circularly polarized light with the signal light.

35 . The method of claim 31 , further comprising separating the circularly polarized light with a signal light after introducing the light to the optically active media.

36 . The method of claim 35 , wherein a dichroic mirror is configured to separate the circularly polarized light with the signal light.

37 . The method of claim 31 , further comprising:
combining the circularly polarized light with a signal light before introducing the light to the optically active media; and separating the circularly polarized light with a signal light after introducing the light to the optically active media.

38 . The method of claim 37 , wherein a first dichroic mirror is configured to combine the circularly polarized light with the signal light and a second dichroic mirror is configured to separate the circularly polarized light from the signal light.

Assignees

• Univ Boise State

Inventors

• Yurke Bernard

Classifications

• G02F1/3612

  Heterocycles having N as heteroatom · CPC title

• G02F1/3503 Primary

  Structural association of optical elements, e.g. lenses, with the non-linear optical device · CPC title

• G02F1/3615

  containing polymers · CPC title

• G02F1/3515

  All-optical modulation, gating, switching, e.g. control of a light beam by another light beam (G02F1/353, G02F1/37, G02F1/39 take precedence) · CPC title

• C07H21/04

  with deoxyribosyl as saccharide radical · CPC title