Superresolution imaging fiber for subwavelength light energy generation and near-field optical microscopy
US5633972A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 29, 1995 |
| Grant date | May 27, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 29, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/241
- WIPO fieldMicro-structural and nano-technology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The present invention provides a superresolution imaging fiber for generating a plurality of subwavelength light energy beams concurrently and for near-field viewing. The imaging fiber comprises a unitary fiber optic array of fixed configuration and dimensions comprising typically from 1,000 to 100,000 optical fiber strands which terminate at one array end as tapered strand end faces limited in size to a range from about 2-1,000 nanometers in diameter. Overlyng these tapered strand end faces is a thin opaque metal coating having a size-limited end aperture ranging from about 2 to less than about 1,000 nanometers in diameter. These size-limited end aperatures provide for the generation of a plurality of discrete subwavelength light beams concurrently.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.