Near-Field Light Lenses for Nano-Focusing of Beams of Atoms

Lenses like these could contribute to development of nanodevices in general.

Near-field light lenses for focusing beams of light and beams of atoms to spots having a width of no more than several nanometers are undergoing development. There are numerous potential applications for such lenses:

• A capability to focus beams of light to nanometer-sized spots is essential for development of proposed nanoscale optical devices (e.g., optical switches and logic gates) based on near-field optical interactions.
• A capability to focus beams of atoms to nanometer-sized spots could contribute to the development of nanophotonic devices, including quantum dots, which must be sized and positioned with precision.