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Far-field optical microscope with nanometer-scale resolution

Igor I. Smolyaninov·Christopher C. Davis·Jill Elliott·Anatoly V. Zayats
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Abstract

The resolution of far-field optical microscopes, which rely on propagating optical modes, is widely believed to be limited because of diffraction to a value on the order of a half-wavelength $λ/2$ of the light used. Although immersion microscopes have slightly improved resolution on the order of $λ/2n$, the increased resolution is limited by the small range of refractive indices n of available transparent materials. Here we demonstrate a new far-field optical microscope design, which is capable of reaching nanometer-scale resolution. This microscope uses the fact that the effective refractive index $n_{eff}$ of a planar dielectric lens or mirror placed on a metal surface may reach extremely large values, up to $10^3$, as seen by propagating surface optical modes (plasmons). In our design a magnified planar image produced originally by surface plasmons in the metal plane is viewed by a regular microscope. Thus, the theoretical diffraction limit on resolution is pushed down to nanometer-scale $λ/2n_{eff}$ values. Used in reverse, such a microscope may become an optical lithography tool with nanometer-scale spatial resolution.

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Igor I. Smolyaninov, Christopher C. Davis, Jill Elliott, Anatoly V. Zayats. 2004-03-10. Far-field optical microscope with nanometer-scale resolution. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.94.057401

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