Hybrid photonic-plasmonic platform for high-throughput single-molecule studies

We present the design and numerical characterization of a hybrid photonic-plasmonic nanoresonator comprised of a 2D photonic crystal (PhC) cavity, a gold bowtie nanoantenna (BNA) and a silicon dioxide, SiO2, spacer. This device is designed to serve as the building block of a multicomponent platform capable of running multiple single-molecule experiments such as optical trapping and sample interrogation simultaneously. The thickness and structure of the spacer layer are adjusted to maximize the energy in the externally accessible hot-spot in the BNA gap. Suitability of the device for photonic integration is demonstrated by exciting it through a PhC waveguide.