Single dye molecules in an oxygen-depleted environment as photostable organic triggered single-photon sources

We demonstrate, that under nitrogen atmosphere, 20% of single DiIC18(3) (1,1′-dioctadecyl-3,3,3′,3′-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate) molecules in poly(methylmethacrylate) show an extremely low photobleaching quantum yield of (4.66±0.07)×10−8 together with a reasonably short triplet lifetime. We exploit these properties to demonstrate that the system can be used to produce a triggered single-photon source based exclusively on organic materials.

[1]  P. Bordat,et al.  Watching the Photo-Oxidation of a Single Aromatic Hydrocarbon Molecule. , 2001, Angewandte Chemie.

[2]  R. H. Brown,et al.  Correlation between Photons in two Coherent Beams of Light , 1956, Nature.

[3]  P. Barbara,et al.  Classifying the Photophysical Dynamics of Single- and Multiple-Chromophoric Molecules by Single Molecule Spectroscopy , 1998 .

[4]  S. Weiss.  Fluorescence spectroscopy of single biomolecules. , 1999, Science.

[5]  N. F. van Hulst,et al.  Time-varying triplet state lifetimes of single molecules , 1999 .

[6]  Kenneth D. Weston,et al.  Single-molecule detection fluorescence of surface-bound species in vacuum , 1999 .

[7]  P. Barbara,et al.  Single-molecule spectroscopy in oxygen-depleted polymer films , 2000 .

[8]  P. Barbara,et al.  Probing Photoinduced Intersystem Crossing by Two-Color, Double Resonance Single Molecule Spectroscopy , 2000 .

[9]  M. Heupel,et al.  Singlet molecular oxygen photosensitized by Rhodamine dyes : correlation with photophysical properties of the sensitizers , 1999 .

[10]  R. Gronheid,et al.  Parameters Influencing the On- and Off-Times in the Fluorescence Intensity Traces of Single Cyanine Dye Molecules , 2002 .

[11]  G. Zumofen,et al.  HIGH PHOTO-STABILITY OF SINGLE MOLECULES IN AN ORGANIC CRYSTAL AT ROOM TEMPERATURE OBSERVED BY SCANNING CONFOCAL OPTICAL MICROSCOPY , 1998 .

[12]  Horia Metiu,et al.  Room-temperature fluorescence characteristics of single dye molecules adsorbed on a glass surface , 1998 .

[13]  D. Bout,et al.  Single molecule photobleaching: increasing photon yield and survival time through suppression of two-step photolysis , 2002 .

[14]  Alois Renn,et al.  Direct observation of the triplet lifetime quenching of single dye molecules by molecular oxygen , 2001 .

[15]  W. Moerner,et al.  Single photons on demand from a single molecule at room temperature , 2000, Nature.

[16]  C. Seidel,et al.  Photobleaching of Fluorescent Dyes under Conditions Used for Single-Molecule Detection:  Evidence of Two-Step Photolysis. , 1998, Analytical chemistry.

[17]  Petra Schwille,et al.  Photobleaching and stabilization of. fluorophores used for single-molecule analysis. with one- and two-photon excitation , 2001 .