Generating nanostructures with multiphoton absorption polymerization using optical trap assisted nanopatterning

The need to generate sub 100 nm features is of interest for a variety of applications including optics, optoelectronics, and plasmonics. To address this requirement, several advanced optical lithography techniques have been developed based on either multiphoton absorption polymerization or near-field effects. In this paper, we combine strengths from multiphoton absorption and near field using optical trap assisted nanopatterning (OTAN). A Gaussian beam is used to position a microsphere in a polymer precursor fluid near a substrate. An ultrafast laser is focused by that microsphere to induce multiphoton polymerization in the near field, leading additive direct-write nanoscale processing.