Optical tweezing using tunable optical lattices along a few-mode silicon waveguide.

Fourteen years ago, optical lattices and holographic tweezers were considered as a revolution, allowing for trapping and manipulating multiple particles at the same time using laser light. Since then, near-field optical forces have aroused tremendous interest as they enable efficient trapping of a wide range of objects, from living cells to atoms, in integrated devices. Yet, handling at will multiple objects using a guided light beam remains a challenging task for current on-chip optical trapping techniques. We demonstrate here on-chip optical trapping of dielectric microbeads and bacteria using one-dimensional optical lattices created by near-field mode beating along a few-mode silicon nanophotonic waveguide. This approach allows not only for trapping large numbers of particles in periodic trap arrays with various geometries, but also for manipulating them via diverse transport and repositioning techniques. Near-field mode-beating optical lattices may be readily implemented in lab-on-a-chip devices, addressing numerous scientific fields ranging from bio-analysis to nanoparticle processing.

Selective excitation of bright and dark plasmonic resonances of single gold nanorods.

Plasmonic dark modes are pure near-field resonances since their dipole moments are vanishing in far field. These modes are particularly interesting to enhance nonlinear light-matter interaction at the nanometer scale because radiative losses are mitigated therefore increasing the intrinsic lifetime of the resonances. However, the excitation of dark modes by standard far field approaches is generally inefficient because the symmetry of the electromagnetic near-field distribution has a poor overlap with the excitation field. Here, we demonstrate the selective optical excitation of bright and dark plasmonic modes of single gold nanorods by spatial phase-shaping the excitation beam. Using two-photon luminescence measurements, we unambiguously identify the symmetry and the order of the emitting modes and analyze their angular distribution by Fourier-space imaging.

On chip shapeable optical tweezers.

Particles manipulation with optical forces is known as optical tweezing. While tweezing in free space with laser beams was established in the 1980s, integrating the optical tweezers on a chip is a challenging task. Recent experiments with plasmonic nanoantennas, microring resonators, and photonic crystal nanocavities have demonstrated optical trapping. However, the optical field of a tweezer made of a single microscopic resonator cannot be shaped. So far, this prevents from optically driven micromanipulations. Here we propose an alternative approach where the shape of the optical trap can be tuned by the wavelength in coupled nanobeam cavities. Using these shapeable tweezers, we present micromanipulation of polystyrene microspheres trapped on a silicon chip. These results show that coupled nanobeam cavities are versatile building blocks for optical near-field engineering. They open the way to much complex integrated tweezers using networks of coupled nanobeam cavities for particles or bio-objects manipulation at a larger scale.

Far-field optical control of a movable subdiffraction light grid.

We demonstrate experimentally a subdiffraction light pattern, with a period down to 150 nm, at the surface of an optimized silicon nanostructured thin film. We show, using near-field and far-field characterization, that this subdiffraction pattern can be translated and rotated just by changing the illumination angle. The movable high frequency light pattern paves the way for subdiffraction resolution surface imaging microscopy without scanning near-field probes.

Discontinuity induced angular distribution of photon plasmon coupling.

Metal-dielectric transitions are important structures that can display a host of optical characteristics including excitation of plasmons. Metal-dielectric discontinuities can furthermore support plasmon excitation without a severe condition on the incident angle of the exciting photons. Using a semi-infinite thin gold film, we study surface plasmon (SP) excitation and the associated electromagnetic near-field distribution by recording the resulting plasmon interference patterns. In particular, we measure interference periods involving SPs at the scanable metal/air interface and the buried metal/glass one. Supported by optical near-field simulations and experiments, we demonstrate that the metal/glass surface plasmon is observable over a wide range of incident angles encompassing values above and below the critical incident angle. As a result, it is shown that scanning near-field microscopy can provide quantitative evaluation of the real part of the buried surface plasmon wavevector.

Local observation and spectroscopy of optical modes in an active photonic-crystal microcavity.

We report the direct, room-temperature, near-field mapping and spectroscopy of the optical modes of a photonic-crystal microcavity containing quantum wells. We use a near-field optical probe to reveal the imprint of the cavity mode structure on the quantum-well emission. Furthermore, near-field spectroscopy allows us to demonstrate the strong spatial and spectral dependence of the coupling between the sources and the microcavity. This knowledge will be essential in devising future nanophotonic devices.

Analysis of the Bloch mode spectra of surface polaritonic crystals in the weak and strong coupling regimes: grating-enhanced transmission at oblique incidence and suppression of SPP radiative losses.

The Bloch mode spectrum of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on a finite thickness metal film has been analyzed in the regimes of weak and strong coupling between SPP modes on the opposite film interfaces. The SPP mode dispersion and associated field distributions have been studied. The results have been applied to the description of the light transmission through thick and thin periodically structured metal films at oblique incidence. In contrast to normal incidence, all SPP Bloch modes on a grating structure participate in the resonant photon tunnelling leading to the transmission enhancement. However, at the angle of incidence corresponding to the crossing of different symmetry film SPP Bloch modes, the far-field transmission is suppressed despite the enhanced near-field transmission. The combined SPP mode consisting of the two film SPPs having different symmetries that is achieved at the crossing frequency exhibits no radiative losses on a structured surface.

How light gets through periodically nanostructured metal films: a role of surface polaritonic crystals.

The physical origin of the enhanced optical transmission of periodically structured films related to surface plasmon polaritons is discussed from first principles. The enhancement of transmission through smooth, randomly rough and periodically nanostructured films is considered. Analysis shows that any metal (or dielectric) nanostructured film can exhibit enhanced transmission in certain spectral ranges corresponding to surface plasmon (or phonon) polariton Bloch mode states on a periodic structure. Resonant tunnelling via these states is responsible for the transmission enhancement. The properties of surface polaritonic crystals are analogous to those of photonic crystals and can find numerous applications for scaling down optical devices to nanometric dimensions as well as for designing novel nanostructured materials whose optical properties are determined by surface polariton interaction in a periodic structure.

Near-field probing of active photonic-crystal structures.

We report a study of the optical near field of an active integrated component operating near the 1.55-mum telecommunications wavelength. The device is based on a two-dimensional photonic crystal etched in a suspended InP membrane. Topographic as well as optical information is collected by use of a scanning near-field optical microscope in collection mode, providing information about the local distribution of the losses.

Near-field distribution of optical transmission of periodic subwavelength holes in a metal film.

Optical transmission of a two-dimensional array of subwavelength holes in a metal film has been numerically studied using a differential method. Transmission spectra have been calculated showing a significant increase of the transmission in certain spectral ranges corresponding to the excitation of the surface polariton Bloch waves on a metal surface with a periodic hole structure. Under the enhanced transmission conditions, the near-field distribution of the transmitted light reveals an intensity enhancement greater than 2 orders of magnitude in localized ( approximately 40 nm) spots resulting from the interference of the surface polaritons Bragg scattered by the holes in an array.

The interaction of surface plasmon polaritons with a silver film edge.

A prism coupling arrangement is used to excite surface plasmons at the surface of a thin silver film and a photon scanning tunnelling microscope is used to detect the evanescent field above the silver surface. Excitation of the silver/air mode of interest is performed at lambda1 = 632.8 nm using a tightly focused beam, while the control of the tip is effected by exciting a counter-propagating surface plasmon field at a different wavelength, lambda2 = 543.5 nm, using an unfocused beam covering a macroscopic area. Propagation of the red surface plasmon is evidenced by an exponential tail extending away from the launch site, but this feature is abruptly truncated if the surface plasmon encounters the edge of the silver film--there is no specularly reflected 'beam'. Importantly, the radiative decay of the surface mode at the film edge is observable only at larger tip-sample separations, emphasizing the importance of accessing the mesoscopic regime.

Imaging of the membrane surface of MDCK cells by atomic force microscopy.

The membrane surface of polarized renal epithelial cells (MDCK cells) grown as a monolayer was imaged with the atomic force microscope. The surface topography of dried cells determined by this approach was consistent with electron microscopy images previously reported. Fixed and living cells in aqueous medium gave more fuzzy images, likely because of the presence of the cell glycocalix. Treatment of living cells with neuraminidase, an enzyme that partly degrades the glycocalix, allowed sub-micrometer imaging. Protruding particles, 10 to 60 nm xy size, occupy most of the membrane surface. Protease treatment markedly reduced the size of these particles, indicating that they corresponded to proteins. Tip structure effects were probably involved in the exaggerated size of imaged membrane proteins. Although further improvements in the imaging conditions, including tip sharpness, are required, atomic force microscope already offers the unique possibility to image proteins at the membrane surface of living cells.

Effect of coherence of the source on the images obtained with a photon scanning tunneling microscope.

The photon scanning tunneling microscope is based on the frustration of a total internal reflection beam by the end of an optical fiber. This microscope has been used to obtain topographic information generally on smooth samples. We compare images obtained with different sources, such as He-Ne and He-Cd lasers and white-light sources, and show the role of the coherence of the source on the formation of the images.