title: Self-aligned grating couplers on template-stripped metal pyramids via nanostencil lithography.
abstract: We combine nanostencil lithography and template stripping to create self-aligned patterns about the apex of ultrasmooth metal pyramids with high throughput. Three-dimensional patterns such as spiral and asymmetric linear gratings, which can couple incident light into a hot spot at the tip, are presented as examples of this fabrication method. Computer simulations demonstrate that spiral and linear diffraction grating patterns are both effective at coupling light to the tip. The self-aligned stencil lithography technique can be useful for integrating plasmonic couplers with sharp metallic tips for applications such as near-field optical spectroscopy, tip-based optical trapping, plasmonic sensing, and heat-assisted magnetic recording.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Klemme
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy W
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4055-8581
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota , Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Sang-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Oh