Upconversion enhancement by a dual-resonance all-dielectric metasurface

Abstract

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have drawn much attention in the past decade due to their superior physicochemical features and great potential in biomedical and biophotonic studies. However, their low luminescence efficiency often limits their applications. Here, we demonstrated a dual-resonance all-dielectric metasurface to enhance the signals emitted by upconversion nanoparticles (NaYF₄:Yb/Tm). An averaged upconversion signal enhancement of around 400 times is detected experimentally. The electric and magnetic dipole resonances of the metasurface are designed to enhance the local excitation field and the quantum efficiency of the upconversion nanoparticles, respectively. Furthermore, the collection efficiency is enhanced due to the directional emission of the UCNPs on the metasurface. Our approach provides a powerful tool to extend the sensing application potential of upconversion nanoparticles.