0000000000390994
AUTHOR
Manon Tardif
Tunable optical lattices in the near-field of a few-mode nanophotonic waveguide
Due to the action of the scattering force, particles that are optically trapped at the surface of a waveguide are propelled in the direction of the light propagation. In this work, we demonstrate an original approach for creating tunable periodic arrays of optical traps along a few-mode silicon nanophotonic waveguide. We show how the near-field optical forces at the surface of the waveguide are periodically modulated when two guided modes with different propagation constants are simultaneously excited. The phenomenon is used to achieve stable trapping of a large number of dielectric particles or bacteria along a single waveguide. By controlling the light coupling conditions and the laser wa…
On-chip periodic arrays of optical traps based on the superposition of guided modes in silicon waveguides
Since the pioneering work of Kawata and Tani [1], photonic waveguides have long been regarded as efficient optical conveyor belts for potential lab-on-a-chip applications. Indeed, near-field optical forces arising at the surface of such waveguides lead to efficient on-chip guided propulsion of micro- and even nanoparticles [2], as well as cells and bacteria in liquid solutions [3]. However, achieving stable and precisely controlled optical trapping of particles at the surface of a waveguide has been made possible only recently, and even then, it still requires complex photonic electro-optic tools to produce and handle on-chip standing waves [4].