Possible Enhancement of the Modulation Rate of Light-Emitting Diodes in Wireless Optical Data Transfer Networks by Means of Metal Nanoparticles with a Dielectric Shell

Abstract

Abstract—At present, plasmon effects in metal nanoparticles are used, among other purposes, for improvement in the efficiency of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). One new direction can be the application of plasmon properties of nanoparticles for improvement in the characteristics of wireless optical networks, in which data are transferred with the use of LEDs (Li–Fi networks). The study is concerned with issues related to the use of metal nanoparticles with dielectric shells to accelerate the modulation rate of LEDs and, as a consequence, to increase the data transfer rate in wireless optical networks due to an increase in the transition rates in a nanocrystal located near the nanoparticle surface. The dependences of the radiative and nonradiative transition rates in a nanocrystal on the emission wavelength are studied for different diameters of the metal core and different shell thicknesses. It is shown that, by specifying the optimal configuration of a nanoparticle with a shell, it is possible to create conditions such that the increase in the radiative transition rate at the emission wavelength of a nanocrystal will substantially exceed the increase in the nonradiative transition rate. This will allow acceleration of the modulation of LEDs without a loss in their energy efficiency as light sources. The results obtained here can be useful in studying the fluorescence of molecules and nanocrystals near nanoparticles and in improving the characteristics of Li–Fi optical data transfer networks.