MRSEC Seminar

The Optical Antenna:
A Versatile Tool for Nanophotonics

Kenneth Crozier

Department of Electrical Engineering, Harvard University

Friday, November 2, 2:00 pm

Nano 4003

Progress in nanotechnology is fundamentally dependent on tools for observation, measurement and manipulation. Optical techniques are well established at the macro-scale, but difficult to apply on the nano-scale. This is due to the mismatch between the wavelength of light, and the dimensions of nanostructures. Optical antennas present an opportunity to bridge these length scales. These devices enable electromagnetic energy to be concentrated into deep sub-wavelength regions. In this presentation, I will discuss recent experimental work on optical antennas fabricated on the facets of infrared laser diodes ( APL 89, 093120 (2006)). It was shown experimentally that the antenna concentrated light into a ~40*100nm spot, an area ~50 times smaller than the diffraction limit. Potential applications will be discussed.

Host: Professor Richard VanDuyne , Chemistry