title: Enhanced optical trapping and arrangement of nano-objects in a plasmonic nanocavity.
abstract: Gentle manipulation of micrometer-sized dielectric objects with optical forces has found many applications in both life and physical sciences. To further extend optical trapping toward the true nanometer scale, we present an original approach combining self-induced back action (SIBA) trapping with the latest advances in nanoscale plasmon engineering. The designed resonant trap, formed by a rectangular plasmonic nanopore, is successfully tested on 22 nm polystyrene beads, showing both single- and double-bead trapping events. The mechanism responsible for the higher stability of the double-bead trapping is discussed, in light of the statistical analysis of the experimental data and numerical calculations. Furthermore, we propose a figure of merit that we use to quantify the achieved trapping efficiency and compare it to prior optical nanotweezers. Our approach may open new routes toward ultra-accurate immobilization and arrangement of nanoscale objects, such as biomolecules.
authors.affiliation: IMEC, kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Chang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Mathieu L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Juan
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: Gustaaf
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Borghs
authors.forename: Pol
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Van Dorpe
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quidant
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008027:Light; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D052898:Optical Tweezers; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000295:instrumentation*