Enhanced photonic nanojets for submicron patterning

Photonic nanojets(PNJs) have a wide range of applications in laser processing, nanolithography, optical highdensity storage, super-resolution microscopy, and other fields due to their processing capacity to overcome the diffraction limit. Herein, we control static microsphere be developed into the motion state to fabricate vector graphics nano-grooves.The microspheres roll on the substrate while the laser is kept synchronously irradiated, and the overlapping PNJ ablated craters form patterned grooves on the indium-tin oxide(ITO) substrate. Thus, PNJ has been expanded from “point”processing to “line” processing. The fabricated nano grooves have high continuity and consistency. Whereas, the precise customization of critical groove dimension can be achieved via modulation in diameter and kinetics of dielectric microshperes. Furthermore, by etching vectographs on an ITO conductive glass substrate, we demonstrated the advantages and potential of the proposed method in nanopatterning. The proposed method effectively reduces the cost and complexity of photonic nanojets applied in nanopatterning. The proposed nanopatterning methodology will play a vital role in the fabrication of semiconductor materials, sensors, microfluidic devices, surface-enhanced Raman scattering(SERS), biomedicine, nanoscience and nanoengineering.

Characteristics of photonic nanojets from two-layer dielectric hemisphere

The properties of the photonic nanojet generated by a two-layer dielectric microsphere are studied. Simulation results indicate that this novel structure can generate a photonic nanojet outside its volume when the refractive index contrast relative to the background medium is higher than 2：1 in the condition of plane wave incidence. When the refractive index is smaller than 2, we show that an ultralong nanojet generated by the two-layer hemisphere has an extension of 28.2 wavelengths, and compared with the homogeneous dielectric hemisphere, it has superior performance in jet length and focal distance. Its dependence on the configuration and refractive index is investigated numerically. According to the simulation of the two-layer dielectric microsphere, a photonic nanojet with a full width at half maximum（FWHM） less than 1/2 wavelength is obtained and the tunable behaviors of the photonic nanojet are demonstrated by changing the reflective indices of the material or radius contrast ratio.

Donut-like photonic nanojet with reverse energy flow

Photonic nanojets(PNJs)are subwavelength jet-like propagating waves generated by illuminating a dielectric microstructure with an electromagnetic wave,conventionally a linearly polarized plane wave.Here,we study the donut-like PNJ produced when a circularly polarized vortex beam is used instead.This novel PNJ also has a reverse energy flow at the donut-like focal plane depending on both the optical vortex topological charge and microsphere size.Our tunable PNJ,which we investigate numerically and analytically,can find applications in optical micromanipulation and trapping.

3D micro-devices for enhancing the lateral resolution in optical microscopy

Although optical microscopy is a widely used technique across various multidisciplinary fields for inspecting small-scale objects,surfaces or organisms,it faces a significant limitation:the lateral resolution of optical microscopes is fundamentally constrained by light diffraction.Dielectric micro-spheres,however,offer a promising solution to this issue as they are capable of significantly enhancing lateral resolution through extraordinary phenomena,such as a photonic nanojet.Building upon the potential of dielectric micro-spheres,this paper introduces a novel approach for fabricating 3D micro-devices designed to enhance lateral resolution in optical microscopy.The proposed 3D micro-device comprises a modified coverslip and a micro-sphere,facilitating easy handling and integration into any existing optical microscope.To manufacture the device,two advanced femtosecond laser techniques are employed:femtosecond laser ablation and multi-photon lithography.Femtosecond laser ablation was employed to create a micro-hole in the coverslip,which allows light to be focused through this aperture.Multi-photon lithography was used to fabricate a micro-sphere with a diameter of 20μm,along with a cantilever that positions the above the processed micro-hole and connect it with the coverslip.In this context,advanced processing strategies for multi-photon lithography to produce a micro-sphere with superior surface roughness and almost perfect geometry(λ/8)from a Zr-based hybrid photoresist are demonstrated.The performance of the micro-device was evaluated using Mirau-type coherence scanning interferometry in conjunction with white light illumination at a central wavelength of 600 nm and a calibration grid(Λ=0.28μm,h>50 nm).Here,the 3D micro-device proved to be capable of enhancing lateral resolution beyond the limits achievable with conventional lenses or microscope objectives when used in air.Simultaneously,it maintained the high axial resolution characteristic of Mirau-type coherence scanning interferometry.The results and optical properties of the micro-sphere were analyzed and further discussed through simulations.