Scanning Probe Photonic Nanojet Lithography

Terahertz tunable three-dimensional photonic jets

Highly localized electromagnetic field distributions near the "shadow-side" surface of certain transparent mesoscale bodies illuminated by light waves are called photonic jets. We demonstrated formation of three-dimensional (3D) tunable photonic jets in terahertz regime (terajets, TJs) by dielectric micro-objects -including spheres, cylinders, and cubes-coated with a bulk Dirac semimetal (BDS) layer, under uniform beam illumination. The optical characteristics of the produced TJs can be modulated dynamically through tuning the BDS layer's index of refraction via changing its Fermi energy. It is demonstrated that the Fermi energy of BDS layer has a significant impact on tuning the optical characteristics of the produced photonic jets for both TE and TM polarizations. A notable polarization dependency of the characteristics of the TJs was also observed. The impact of obliquity of the incident beam was studied as well and it was demonstrated that electromagnetic field distributions corresponding to asymmetric photonic jets can be formed in which the intensity at the focal region is preserved in a wide angular range which could find potential application in scanning devices. It was found that the maximum intensity of the TJ occurs at a non-trivial morphology-dependent source-angle.

Microsphere photolithography with dynamic angular spectra control for metasurface fabrication

Microsphere photolithography (MPL) is a promising technique for cost-effective fabrication of large-scale metasurfaces. This approach generates an array of photonic jets by the collimated illumination of self-assembled microspheres. The photonic jets can be precisely steered within the unit cell defined by each microsphere by changing the angle of incidence. This allows for the creation of complex metasurface element geometries. Computer controlled articulation of the substrate relative to a static UV source allows the direct-write of different metasurface elements. However, this is time-consuming and requires registration between each exposure for complex features. This paper investigates a single exposure method with the dynamic continuous angle of incidence control provided by a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) in the front Fourier plane of the projection system. The grayscale values of the DMD pixels can be adjusted to provide optical proximity correction. Larger patterns can be achieved by scanning the substrate relative to the exposure beam. This approach is demonstrated with the creation of hierarchical patterns. This work greatly simplifies the MPL exposure process for complex resonators and provides potential for full light field control.

Optics Determines the Electrochemiluminescence Signal of Bead-Based Immunoassays

Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is an optical readout technique that is successfully applied for the detection of biomarkers in body fluids using microbead-based immunoassays. This technology is of utmost importance for in vitro diagnostics and thus a very active research area but is mainly focused on the quest for new dyes and coreactants, whereas the investigation of the ECL optics is extremely scarce. Herein, we report the 3D imaging of the ECL signals recorded at single microbeads decorated with the ECL labels in the sandwich immunoassay format. We show that the optical effects due to the light propagation through the bead determine mainly the spatial distribution of the recorded ECL signals. Indeed, the optical simulations based on the discrete dipole approximation compute rigorously the electromagnetic scattering of the ECL emission by the microbead and allow for reconstructing the spatial map of ECL emission. Thus, it provides a global description of the ECL chemical reactivity and the associated optics. The outcomes of this 3D imaging approach complemented by the optical modeling provide insight into the ECL optics and the unique ECL chemical mechanism operating on bead-based immunoassays. Therefore, it opens new directions for mechanistic investigations, ultrasensitive ECL bioassays, and imaging.

Wide-Field and Real-Time Super-Resolution Optical Imaging By Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle-Assembled Solid Immersion Lens

Super-resolution optical imaging techniques can break the optical diffraction limit, thus providing unique opportunities to visualize the microscopic world at the nanoscale. Although near-field optical microscopy techniques have been proven to achieve significantly improved imaging resolution, most near-field approaches still suffer from a narrow field of view (FOV) or difficulty in obtaining wide-field images in real time, which may limit their widespread and diverse applications. Here, the authors experimentally demonstrate an optical microscope magnification and image enhancement approach by using a submillimeter-sized solid immersion lens (SIL) assembled by densely-packed 15 nm TiO₂ nanoparticles through a silicone oil two-step dehydration method. This TiO₂ nanoparticle-assembled SIL can achieve both high transparency and high refractive index, as well as sufficient mechanical strength and easy-to-handle size, thus providing a fast, wide-field, real-time, non-destructive, and low-cost solution for improving the quality of optical microscopic observation of a variety of samples, including nanomaterials, cancer cells, and living cells or bacteria under conventional optical microscopes. This study provides an attractive alternative to simplify the fabrication and applications of high-performance SILs.

Photonic Nanojet Generation Using Integrated Silicon Photonic Chip with Hemispherical Structures

Photonic nanojet (PNJ) is a tightly focused diffractionless travelling beam generated by dielectric microparticles. The location of the PNJ depends on the refractive index of the material and it usually recedes to the interior of the microparticle when the refractive index is higher than 2, making high index materials unsuitable to produce useful PNJs while high index favours narrower PNJs. Here we demonstrate a design of CMOS compatible high index on-chip photonic nanojet based on silicon. The proposed design consists of a silicon hemisphere on a silicon substrate. The PNJs generated can be tuned by changing the radius and sphericity of the hemisphere. Oblate spheroids generate PNJs further away from the refracting surface and the PNJ length exceeds 17λ when the sphericity of the spheroid is 2.25 The proposed device can have potential applications in focal plane arrays, enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and optofluidic chips.

Direct imaging of a photonic jet at shaped fiber tips

This Letter presents, to our knowledge, the first direct measurement of the three-dimensional distribution of photonic jets (PJs) generated by shaped-tip multimode optical fibers. A PJ at the distal end of optical fibers makes it easier to scan a sample, for lithography or optical analysis, for example, with a spot smaller than the diffraction limit. The backscattered light can also be easily collected. In this study, the volume of the PJ has been reconstructed using a stack of image planes and compared to numerical simulations. For the first time, the power distribution of the non-fundamental mode around the PJ has been observed, giving a better understanding of PJ-based laser etching using multimode optical fibers. An original 50/125 fiber with a microlens fitting just on its core has made it possible to strongly reduce the power spread compared to the thermoformed 100/140 fibers used in our previous works.

Novel Bilayer Micropyramid Structure Photonic Nanojet for Enhancing a Focused Optical Field

In this paper, synthetically using refraction, diffraction, and interference effects to achieve free manipulation of the focused optical field, we firstly present a photonic nanojet (PNJ) generated by a micropyramid, which is combined with multilayer thin films. The theory of total internal reflection (TIR) was creatively used to design the base angle of the micropyramid, and the size parameters and material properties of the microstructure were deduced via the expected optical field distribution. The as-designed bilayer micropyramid array was fabricated by using the single-point diamond turning (SPDT) technique, nanoimprint lithography (NIL), and proportional inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching. After the investigation, the results of optical field measurement were highly consistent with those of the numerical simulation, and they were both within the theoretical calculation range. The bilayer micropyramid array PNJ enhanced the interference effect of incident and scattered fields; thus, the intensity of the focused light field reached 33.8-times that of the initial light, and the range of the focused light field was extended to 10.08λ. Moreover, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the focal spot achieved was 0.6λ, which was close to the diffraction limit.

Structured light engineering using a photonic nanojet

In this Letter, we present the photonic nanojet as a phenomenon in a structured light generator system that is implemented to modify the source focal spot size and emission angle. The optical system comprises a microlens array that is illuminated by a focused Gaussian beam to generate a structured pattern in the far field. By introducing a spheroid with different aspect ratios in the focus of the Gaussian beam, the source optical characteristics change, and a photonic nanojet is generated, which will engineer the far-field distribution. To probe the light fields, we implement a high-resolution interferometry setup to extract both the phase and intensity at different planes. We both numerically and experimentally demonstrate that the pattern distribution in the far field can be engineered by a photonic nanojet. As an example, we examine prolate, sphere, and oblate geometries. An interesting finding is that depending on the spheroid geometry, a smaller transverse FWHM of a photonic nanojet with a higher divergence angle produces an increased pattern field of view at the same physical size of the optical system.

Laser photonic nanojets triggered thermoplasmonic micro/nanofabrication of polymer materials for enhanced resolution

Micro/nanofabrication of polymer materials is of interest for micro/nanofluidic systems. Due to the optical diffraction limit, it remains a challenge to achieve nanoscale resolution fabrication using an ordinary continuous-wave laser system. In this study, we therefore propose a laser photonic nanojet-based micro/nanofabrication method for polymer materials using a low-power and low-cost continuous-wave laser. The photonic nanojets were produced using glass microspheres. Moreover, a thermoplasmonic effect was employed by depositing a gold layer beneath the polymer films. By applying the photonic nanojet triggered thermoplasmonics, sub-micrometer surface structures, as well as their arrays, were fabricated with a laser power threshold value down to 10 mW. The influences of the microsphere diameters, and thicknesses of gold layers and polymer films on the fabricated microstructures were systematically investigated, which aligns well with the finite-difference time-domain simulation results.

Nanopatterning with Photonic Nanojets: Review and Perspectives in Biomedical Research

Nanostructured surfaces and devices offer astounding possibilities for biomedical research, including cellular and molecular biology, diagnostics, and therapeutics. However, the wide implementation of these systems is currently limited by the lack of cost-effective and easy-to-use nanopatterning tools. A promising solution is to use optical methods based on photonic nanojets, namely, needle-like beams featuring a nanometric width. In this review, we survey the physics, engineering strategies, and recent implementations of photonic nanojets for high-throughput generation of arbitrary nanopatterns, along with applications in optics, electronics, mechanics, and biosensing. An outlook of the potential impact of nanopatterning technologies based on photonic nanojets in several relevant biomedical areas is also provided.

All-dielectric concentration of electromagnetic fields at the nanoscale: the role of photonic nanojets

The photonic nanojet (PNJ) is a narrow high-energy beam that was originally found on the back side of all-dielectric spherical structures. It is a unique type of energy concentration mode. The field of PNJs has experienced rapid growth in the past decade: nonspherical and even pixelized PNJ generators based on new physics and principles along with extended photonic applications from linear optics to nonlinear optics have driven the re-evaluation of the role of PNJs in optics and photonics. In this article, we give a comprehensive review for the emerging sub-topics in the past decade with a focus on two specific areas: (1) PNJ generators based on natural materials, artificial materials and nanostructures, and even programmable systems instead of conventional dielectric geometries such as microspheres, cubes, and trihedral prisms, and (2) the emerging novel applications in both linear and nonlinear optics that are built upon the specific features of PNJs. The extraordinary features of PNJs including subwavelength concentration of electromagnetic energy, high intensity focusing spot, and lower Joule heating as compared to plasmonic resonance systems, have made PNJs attractive to diverse fields spanning from optical imaging, nanofabrication, and integrated photonics to biosensing, optical tweezers, and disease diagnosis.

Recent progress in near-field nanolithography using light interactions with colloidal particles: from nanospheres to three-dimensional nanostructures

The advance of nanotechnology is firmly rooted in the development of cost-effective, versatile, and easily accessible nanofabrication techniques. The ability to pattern complex two-dimensional and three-dimensional nanostructured materials are particularly desirable, since they can have novel physical properties that are not found in bulk materials. This review article will report recent progress in utilizing self-assembly of colloidal particles for nanolithography. In these techniques, the near-field interactions of light and colloids are the sole mechanisms employed to generate the intensity distributions for patterning. Based on both 'bottom-up' self-assembly and 'top-down' lithography approaches, these processes are highly versatile and can take advantage of a number of optical effects, allowing the complex 3D nanostructures to be patterned using single exposures. There are several key advantages including low equipment cost, facile structure design, and patterning scalability, which will be discussed in detail. We will outline the underlying optical effects, review the geometries that can be fabricated, discuss key limitations, and highlight potential applications in nanophotonics, optoelectronic devices, and nanoarchitectured materials.

Flexible Photonic Nanojet Formed by Cylindrical Graded-Index Lens

Photonic nanojets formed in the vicinity of the cylindrical graded-index lens with different types of index grading are numerically investigated based on the finite-difference time-domain method. The cylindrical lens with 1600 nm diameter is assembled by eighty-seven hexagonally arranged close-contact nanofibers with 160 nm diameter. Simulation and analysis results show that it is possible to engineer and elongate the photonic nanojet. Using differently graded-index nanofibers as building elements to compose this lens, the latitudinal and longitudinal sizes of the produced photonic nanojet can be flexibly adjusted. At an incident wavelength of 532 nm, the cylindrical lens with index grading = 2 can generate a photonic nanojet with a waist about 173 nm (0.32 wavelength). This lens could potentially contribute to the development of a novel device for breaking the diffraction limit in the field of optical nano-scope and bio-photonics.

Ultralong photonic nanojet formed by dielectric microtoroid structure

A photonic nanojet (PNJ) is a highly confined light beam formed by a transparent particle under light wave illumination. Here, we propose and numerically investigate the PNJ formed by a dielectric circular toroid with micro dimensions and a homogenous refractive index. Three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations are conducted and demonstrate that ultralong PNJs can be formed by the doughnut-like structure. Besides, microtoroid structures can allow high-index materials (n=3.5) for PNJ generation. Various PNJ properties, including the focal distance, PNJ length, full width at half-maximum, and maximum intensity, can be flexibly tuned by modifying the geometry of the proposed structure.