Observation of energy transfer at optical frequency to an ultrathin silicon waveguide

Energy transfer from a submonolayer of rhodamine 6G molecules to a 130 nm thick crystalline silicon (Si) waveguide is investigated. The dependence of the fluorescence lifetime of rhodamine on its distance to the Si waveguide is characterized and modeled successfully by a classical dipole model. The energy transfer process could be regarded as photon tunneling into the Si waveguide via the evanescent waves. The experimentally observed tunneling rate is well described by an analytical expression obtained via a complex variable analysis in the complex wavenumber plane.