A review of optical near-fields in particle/tip-assisted laser nanofabrication

Abstract Nanofabrication by using lasers with a spatial resolution beyond the optical diffraction limit is a challenging task. One of the solutions is to use near-field techniques, in which evanescent waves dominate over free waves in the vicinity of scattering objects and sub-diffraction-limited fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part C, Journal of mechanical engineering science Journal of mechanical engineering science, 2010-05, Vol.224 (5), p.1113-1127
Main Authors: Wang, Z B, Joseph, N, Li, L, Luk'yanchuk, B S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Diffraction
Evanescent waves
Lasers
Mathematical models
Mechanical engineering
Microscopes
Nanocomposites
Nanofabrication
Nanomaterials
Nanostructure
Nanostructured materials
Numerical analysis
Numerical methods
Scattering
Spatial resolution
Wave diffraction
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Summary:Abstract Nanofabrication by using lasers with a spatial resolution beyond the optical diffraction limit is a challenging task. One of the solutions is to use near-field techniques, in which evanescent waves dominate over free waves in the vicinity of scattering objects and sub-diffraction-limited focus (as small as ∼10 nm) can be achieved. Theoretical modelling of near-field phenomena is extremely important for the understanding of these near-field techniques, especially for some cases where it is not possible to directly measure the near-fields. In this article, a brief review of the existing near-field laser nanofabrication techniques is given. Different theoretical methods for the computation of optical near-fields, including both analytical and numerical methods, are then presented. The optical near-field distributions of different micro/nano-systems (isolated particles, aggregated particles, particles on the substrate, particles in liquid, and the tip-sample system) are then reviewed in detail within the framework of laser nanofabrication.
ISSN:0954-4062
2041-2983
DOI:10.1243/09544062JMES1766