SBIR Phase II: Next Generation Nano-Probes for Ultra-High Resolution Near Field Microscopy, Nanolithography, and High-Density Data Storage

Em Photonics Inc, Newark DE

Investigators

Abstract

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project focuses on the development, demonstration, and commercialization of ultra-high resolution nano-probes for applications in near field scanning optical microscopy/spectroscopy (SNOM), nano-lithography and high-density optical data storage based on photonic band gap technology. In this Phase II project the planar, photonic crystal-based nano-probes analyzed and fabricated in Phase I will be optimized. In addition, the process for realizing full three-dimensional photonic crystal nano-probes will be developed. Tune-ability will be incorporated in the nano-probes by either varying the physical dimensions of an embedded nanocavity, within our probe, or by applying an external electric, or magnetic, field to modify the optical properties of a nanocavity and hence modulate its resonant frequency, or line width. By tuning the operational wavelength of the nano-probes, they can be used to image rather complex spatial features at various spectral wavelengths. The nano-probe will be combined with an integrated spectrometer for spectral filtering of various detected wavelengths. Both the nano-probe and the spectrometer are photonic crystal based and hence can be integrated on a single device. Recently developed technology, which is referred to as combinational lithography, will be used to realize a three-dimensional nano-probe. The advantage here is that by having full lateral confinement one can realize a nano-probe that can be scanned over a photoresist coated sample and used to expose it. The advantage the technique has over conventional SNOM exposure is that by using a photonic crystal nano-probe the lateral fields are localized to a much smaller region, which results in a much higher resolution exposure. To this end, the combinational lithography process is a technique for the fabrication of defects, such as tapered waveguides and resonators, embedded in a three-dimensional photonic crystal. The method is efficient, flexible and very economical for fabricating large-scale photonic crystals. As such, it allows for the arbitrary placement of defects within a high quality photonic crystal lattice of arbitrary symmetry, and achieves this in a minimum number of process steps. Commercially the project will lead to multi-functional, high resolution photonic crystal based nanoprobes that will dramatically impact both the commercial and research fields of near-field optical microscopy, optical data storage, and nanolithography. The innovation has near term potential integration with current nano-photonic imaging and writing systems. In the future, these devices show potential for various systems requiring high resolution such as single molecule detection, which have generated significant interest in the physical and biological sciences and the study of small numbers of quantum dots, where probe requirements are far below that achievable by classical optics (~100nm) as is due in part to the high density of quantum dots which necessitate sub-micron optical resolution in order to isolate quantum dot structures.