You have requested a machine translation of selected content from our databases. This functionality is provided solely for your convenience and is in no way intended to replace human translation. Neither SPIE nor the owners and publishers of the content make, and they explicitly disclaim, any express or implied representations or warranties of any kind, including, without limitation, representations and warranties as to the functionality of the translation feature or the accuracy or completeness of the translations.
Translations are not retained in our system. Your use of this feature and the translations is subject to all use restrictions contained in the Terms and Conditions of Use of the SPIE website.
8 August 2003Optically induced mass transport generated in near fields
In the last few years a range of techniques for opto-mechanical manipulations of organic films and small structures has been developed and significantly improved. Among these techniques a very promising candidate turned out to be the optically induced mass transport. Not only that the physical mechanisms underlying this phenomenon is not yet been fully understood, but in addition, the lateral dimensions of structures created in that way have been limited by the used light wavelength. In order to gain deeper insight into the physical fundamentals of this phenomenon and to open possibilities for applications (lithography, data storage, manipulation of molecules, ...) it is necessary to create and study reproducible, sharply defined single structures not only in a macroscopic but also in nanometer range. SNOM (Scaning Nearfield Optical Microscopy) seemed to us an intriguing method to approach this goal. We report here novel experimental results about the generation of ultra-small structures by optically driven mass transport. We have investigated different ways to generate localized mass transport in azobenzene-containing films by using focused light in far and nearfields. Thus, the dimensions of optically created structures range to 5 μm (lens focusing) and even down to 100 nm (SNOM nearfield). These experiments offer new expectations to manipulate ultra small objects on surfaces by optical means without mechanically touching them.
The alert did not successfully save. Please try again later.
B. Stiller, P. Karageorgiev, A. Buchsteiner, Th. Geue, O. Henneberg, L. Brehmer, A. Natansohn, O. Hollricher, "Optically induced mass transport generated in near fields," Proc. SPIE 5122, Advanced Organic and Inorganic Optical Materials, (8 August 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.515719