Nanowire arrays comprising fluorescent nanowires and substrate

1. A nanowire array, comprising a substrate, a plurality of nanowires extending essentially perpendicularly from the substrate, wherein the nanowire array has a collective mode, wherein the nanowire array is configured to fluoresce at a wavelength of the collective mode.

2. The nanowire array of claim 1 , further comprising a reflective layer at least disposed on the substrate in at least a portion of areas between the nanowires.

3. The nanowire array of claim 1 , wherein the nanowires comprise fluorescent nanowires.

4. The nanowire array of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a material comprising silicon, sapphire, glass, silicon oxide, diamond, ZnO, a transparent non-absorbing dielectric material, or a combination thereof; or wherein the substrate has a thickness of about 0.1 to about 1 mm; or wherein the substrate comprises substantially a same material as or different materials from the nanowires.

5. The nanowire array of claim 2 , wherein the reflective layer comprises a material selected from a group consisting of ZnO, Al, Au, Ag, Pd, Cr, Cu, and a combination thereof; or wherein the reflective layer has a reflectance of at least 50% for fluoresced light from the fluorescent nanowires; or wherein the reflective layer has a thickness of at least about 5 nm.

6. The nanowire array of claim 2 , wherein the reflective layer is also disposed on the substrate in at least a portion of areas covered by the nanowires.

7. The nanowire array of claim 1 , wherein the nanowires are at least partially embedded in a material.

8. The nanowire array of claim 1 , wherein the nanowires comprise one or more fluorescent material.

9. The nanowire array of claim 1 , wherein the nanowires comprise a material selected from the group consisting of inorganic fluorescent materials, organic fluorescent materials, quantum dots, diamond with color centers embedded therein, and a combination thereof.

10. The nanowire array of claim 1 , wherein the nanowires comprise one or more non-fluorescent material with one or more fluorescent material embedded therein or covered thereby.

11. The nanowire array of claim 1 , wherein fluoresced light of the nanowire array is substantially spatially and/or temporally coherent.

12. The nanowire array of claim 1 , wherein the wavelength of the collective mode of the nanowire array is substantially equal to a pitch of the nanowire array.

13. The nanowire array of claim 1 , wherein the collective mode is an air mode.

14. A light source comprising one or more of the nanowire array of claim 1 .

15. A method of using a nanowire array comprising exposing the nanowire array to light, wherein the nanowire array comprises:

a substrate,

a plurality of nanowires extending essentially perpendicularly from the substrate,

wherein the nanowire array has a collective mode, wherein the nanowire array is configured to fluoresce at a wavelength of the collective mode.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the light has a shorter wavelength than the wavelength of the wavelength of the collective mode of the nanowire array.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the light is provided by a source selected from the group consisting of LEDs, fluorescent lamps, mercury-vapor lamps, sodium-vapor lamps, discharge lamps, sunlight, incandescent lamps, laser and combinations thereof.

18. A method of manufacturing a nanowire array comprising:

obtaining a substrate;

forming a plurality of nanowires extend essentially perpendicularly from the substrate;

wherein the nanowire array is configured to fluoresce at a wavelength of a collective mode of the nanowire array.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the substrate comprises a layer of fluorescent material, wherein forming the plurality of nanowires comprises etching the layer of fluorescent material.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein forming the plurality of nanowires comprises:

depositing a fluorescent material on or embedding a fluorescent material in the nanowires.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising annealing the nanowires.

22. The method of claim 18 , further comprising depositing a reflective layer at least on the substrate in at least a portion of areas between the nanowires.

23. The light source of claim 14 , wherein the light source is a laser.