Coherent evanescent wave imaging

US6980716B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• THE ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS · US

Inventors

• Rodolfo E. Diaz · Phoenix, US
• Ampere A. Tseng · Phoenix, US
• Karl Booksh · Scottsdale, US
• Jose Menendez · Caracas, VE
• Sethuraman Panchanathan · Gilbert, US
• Michael Wagner · Nuremberg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 29, 2002
• Grant date: Dec 27, 2005
• Expiry date: Nov 8, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B6/1226
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for gathering image information from nanostructures includes a composite waveguide of conductive nanoparticles in a dielectric medium. The waveguide is irradiated with preferably coherent blue light to form a slow surface wave. The evanescent wave that is the “tail” of the surface wave exists outside the waveguide contiguous to its surface. The nanostructures are located to encounter the evanescent wave. The slowing of the wave that occurs in the waveguide reduces the wave's speed and wavelength sufficiently such that nanostructures can be imaged. Upon encountering the evanescent wave, the nanostructures radiate. This radiation causes a backward scattering from the structures and a forward perturbation of the wavefront of the surface wave. From the scattering and perturbation information about the physical characteristics of the nanostructures sufficient to form an image is derived.