Organic micro-nanophotonics: Materials, devices and integrated circuits

Organic micro-nanophotonics is an emerging interdisciplinary field that integrates photonics, nanoscience, and materials chemistry to explore light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. Compared with inorganic counterparts, organic materials offer distinct advantages such as high photoluminescence efficiency, tunable optical properties, and facile processability, which enable flexible and multifunctional nanophotonic applications. This review summarizes recent advances in organic nanophotonic materials and their applications in integrated photonic devices. First, we highlight the unique photophysical characteristics of typical organic materials—including small molecules, conjugated polymers, and hybrid systems—emphasizing their structural versatility and excited-state dynamics. Next, we discuss representative organic photonic devices such as lasers, photodetectors, OLEDs, photovoltaics, modulators, and optical coding systems, focusing on how organic components enhance device functionality. We further review recent progress in the design and fabrication of integrated organic photonic platforms, including patterning techniques, photonic integrated circuits (PICs), and nonlinear photonic systems. Finally, we outline the remaining challenges in the field and provide perspectives on future research directions, particularly in the rational molecular design and structure-property relationship of organic materials. By offering a comprehensive overview, this review aims to promote innovation in the development of tunable, high-performance nanophotonic devices based on organic materials.