Introduction
Nano-optics, also commonly known as, “nanophotonics is the study of the behavior of light on the nanometer scale” (Chang and Yang 360). It involves the study of ultraviolet, visible, and near IR light, with a wavelength of approximately 300 to 1200 nanometers. Nanophotonics in principle involves two main areas of interest to scientists; the first part is interested in studying of original properties of light at the smallest nanometric range.
Secondly, thematic areas look at the use of these properties in the development of apparatus with very high resolution and technologically advanced that can effectively be used to carry out the engineering applications. This technology is highly employed in optical engineering. Optical engineering mainly deals with optics. Optics looks at the interaction of light with substances or particles, at a deeper nanowavelength scale. Today, many technologies apply the nanophotonics mechanism in their applications and operations. The Nanophotonics mechanism is used in photo-assisted scanning, microscopy, near field scanning optical microscopy (NOSM), tunneling, and surface plasmonics optics.
Whereas microscopy uses the diffractive principle of light elements to focus light for the purpose of increasing subject resolution, Nanophotonics employs the option of quantum dots for the transmission of resolution of the objects. Because of the limit of diffraction coined in the Rayleigh Criterion, light propagation may only be confined to a maximum level of hundred nanometers (Chang and Yang 360).
Nanophotonics is considered to be working with varied mechanisms, which serve different purposes. The components work in such a way that the input for another system is determined by the outputs of another system. The key components of the Nanophotonics system are the wavelength guides, the photodetectors, and the saturable absorbers. The couplers, the finer ones that guide the wavelength, and the amplifiers are other commonly incorporated parts of the system. The solar cells, the photodetectors, and lasers also play a role in the system (Chang and Yang 357).
The Nanophotonics components do work collectively. The fiber and the couplers are believe in charge of the conveyance of the light wave to the system optical switches. The amplifiers are believed to play a role of converting and controlling the system; whereas the detectors help in detecting the images and direct the laser beams.
Quantum Dots
These are also referred to nanocrystals. They are the kind of a special group of materials called semiconductors. Semiconductors are crystals composed of elements from the groups of II-VI, III-V, or IV-VI in the periodic table. Today, semiconductors are the foundation stone of the modern electronics industry and are majorly used to make the possible functioning in applications such as the personal computer (PC) and the light emitting diode (LED). Quantum dots are examples of semiconductor due to the fact that they are very small, falling in the range of 2-10 nanometres and approximately containing 10-50 atoms in diameter (Chang and Yang 361).
Applications
Nanophotonics has been employed in the structuring of metamaterials that are used today, and in the electronic and analytical industry. In addition to this, the evolution and development of micro-nano technologies have allowed an extraordinary revival of the studies with the creation of plasmonics in the Ebbesen experiment (Lourtioz, Benisty and Chelnokov 55). Some of the instrumentations that have incorporated the quantum dots include the nanotube, metamaterial antennas, and also atomic microscope among others. This is aimed at improving the performance of the instruments for very high optical output.
For example, in scanning probe microscopy, a probe is employed in the excitation of samples at a local level and transmits the local information for analysis. This is also done at a nanoscale. Research has therefore been initiated in line with this. Developments in this area could prove useful in that the telecommunications industry would be revolutionalized by this technology in that the provision of high-speed, low power running of devices without interfaces including all optic and electro-optic switches on chipboard (Chang and Yang 355).
The nanotube is made of allotropes of carbon and is cylindrically shaped. They have a structure with a ratio of 132000000:1 of length to diameter. The carbon characteristics of these nanotubes are very suitable for use in many applications such as electronics, nanotechnology, optics, and electronics among others. Also, IBM invented and developed an ultra-fast nanophotonic avalanche detector that is noise-free which is pegged to cause an exaflop in the light circuit era (Assefa and Vlasov 80). Some of the properties of nanotubes that make them suitable for these purposes include strength, hardness, electrical conductivity, kinetic, optical, and thermal abilities.
The atomic microscope is another research instrument that uses the nanotechnology concept. This uses photons in the magnification of objects and can achieve magnification powers of up to over 2,000,000X. This has generally been used to a great extent in the biotechnology field. It has revolutionalized biotechnological research and developments. Nanophotonics has therefore been vastly employed in biotechnology, especially within the new research where it is applied in optical diagnostics and optical therapeutical actions. Nanophotonics has also been used in bio bioimaging sensing too, and further still in the targeting of drugs to specific points in the body by using nanomedicine.
References
Assefa, Simon, and Vlasov, Young “Reinventing germanium avalanche photo photodetector nanophotonic on-chip optical interconnect” Nature, 464.3 (2010):80.
Chang, Chris, and Yang, Shu” Rapid fabrication of ultraviolet cured polymer microlens arrays by a soft roller stamping process.” Microelectronic Engineering, 84. 2 (2006): 355-361.
Lourtioz, James, Benisty, Han and Chelnokov, Khan. Photonic crystals: Towards nanoscale photonic devices. New York: Springer Publisher, 2005. Print.