Hybrid Optical–Thermal Antennas for Enhanced Light Focusing and Local Temperature Control

Metal nanoantennas supporting localized surface plasmon resonances have become an indispensable tool in bio(chemical) sensing and nanoscale imaging applications. The high plasmon-enhanced electric field intensity in the visible or near-IR range that enables the above applications may also cause local heating of nanoantennas. We present a design of hybrid optical–thermal antennas that simultaneously enable intensity enhancement at the operating wavelength in the visible and nanoscale local temperature control. We demonstrate a possibility to reduce the hybrid antenna operating temperature via enhanced infrared thermal emission. We predict via rigorous numerical modeling that hybrid optical–thermal antennas that support high-quality-factor photonic-plasmonic modes enable up to 2 orders of magnitude enhancement of localized electric fields and of the optical power absorbed in the nanoscale metal volume. At the same time, the hybrid antenna temperature can be lowered by several hundred degrees with respect to...