Enhancement of second-order non-linear optical susceptibilities in organic film materials using non-centrosymmetric nanoparticles

1. A non-linear optical material comprising a plurality of non-centrosymmetric nanoparticles juxtaposed to non-linear optical (NLO) film at a localized surface Plasmon resonance (LSPR) of said nanoparticles, said LSPR being resonant at a wavelength of an incident light source, wherein a second-order non-linear susceptibility (χ (2) ) of the NLO film with respect to the incident light is enhanced by the juxtaposition to the LSPR of the nanoparticles, the non-linear optical material not having global inversion symmetry.

2. A non-linear optical material as in claim 1 , wherein the nanoparticles are deposited upon a layer of NLO film.

3. A non-linear optical material as in claim 1 , wherein the NLO film is applied separately to each nanoparticle.

4. A non-linear optical material as in claim 3 , wherein each nanoparticle is a prism, the NLO film is applied as a coating, and an uncoated nanoprism is attached to form a nano prism dimer.

5. A non-linear optical material as in claim 1 , wherein each nanoparticle is a nanosphere, the NLO film is applied as a coating, and a metal cap is applied to a hemisphere of the nanoparticle.

6. A non-linear optical material as in claim 2 , further comprising a plurality of said layers separated by an NLO-inactive filler.

7. A non-linear optical material as in claim 4 , wherein the nanoprism dimers are arranged in a layer, and further comprising a plurality of said nanoprisms dimer layers separated by an NLO-inactive filler.

8. A non-linear optical material as in claim 5 , wherein the capped nanospheres are aggregated in an electrically poled mixture.

9. A non-linear optical material as in claim 1 , wherein said nanoparticles have a size less than 200 nm and a density sufficient to minimize scattering of the incident light.

10. A non-linear optical material as in claim 1 , wherein each of said nanoparticles is of the same noble metal, the noble metal being one of the group comprised of gold, silver, copper and platinum.

11. A non-linear optical material, comprising:

an ionic self-assembled multilayer (ISAM) film, the ISAM film having a non-zero second-order non-linear optical susceptibility χ (2) ; and

metallic nanoparticles deposited on the ISAM film, the metallic nanoparticles having one or more localized plasmon resonances (LSPRs), said LSPRs being determined by a geometry of the metallic nanoparticles,

wherein the geometry of the metallic nanoparticles is tuned to make at least one of the LSPRs overlap a frequency of optical excitation applied to the non-linear optical material, thereby enhancing a second harmonic generation (SHG) emission, responsive to said optical excitation, in proportion to an enhancement responsive to said at least one LSPRs.

12. The non-linear optical material of claim 11 , wherein the metallic nanoparticles are silver nanoparticles.

13. The non-linear optical material of claim 11 , wherein the metallic nanoparticles are deposited by nanosphere lithography.

14. The non-linear optical material of claim 11 , wherein the geometry of the metallic nanoparticles is a triangular prism.

15. The non-linear optical material of claim 11 , wherein the geometry of the metallic nanoparticles is a nanocage.

16. The non-linear optical material of claim 11 , wherein the frequency of optical excitation is in the range of 1000 to 1600 nm.

17. The non-linear optical material of claim 11 , wherein the metallic nanoparticles are less than 200 nm in size.

18. A method of producing a non-linear optical material, comprising:

forming an ionic self-assembled multilayer (ISAM) film, the ISAM film having a non-zero second-order non-linear optical susceptibility χ (2) ; and

depositing metallic nanoparticles on the ISAM film, the metallic nanoparticles having one or more localized plasmon resonances (LSPRs), said LSPRs being determined by a geometry of the metallic nanoparticles,

wherein the geometry of the metallic nanoparticles is tuned to make at least one of the LSPRs overlap a frequency of optical excitation applied to the non-linear optical material, thereby enhancing a second harmonic generation (SHG) emission, responsive to said optical excitation, in proportion to an enhancement responsive to said at least one LSPRs.

19. A method of producing non-linear optical material as in claim 18 , wherein the metallic nanoparticles are silver nanoparticles.

20. A method of producing non-linear optical material as in claim 18 , wherein the metallic nanoparticles are deposited by nanosphere lithography.

21. A method of producing non-linear optical material as in claim 18 , wherein the geometry of the metallic nanoparticles is a triangular prism.

22. A method of producing non-linear optical material as in claim 18 , wherein the geometry of the metallic nanoparticles is a nanocage.

23. A method of producing non-linear optical material as in claim 18 , wherein the frequency of optical excitation is in the range of 1000 to 1600 nm.

24. A method of producing non-linear optical material as in claim 18 , wherein the metallic nanoparticles are less than 200 nm in size.

25. A method of producing non-linear optical material as in claim 18 , wherein the ISAM film is formed on one side of a glass substrate.

26. A non-linear optical material as in claim 4 , wherein the nanoprism dimers are conjugated with antibodies targeted at a biological receptor.