The Stanford Photonics Research Center

Nanophotonics

Nano-optics is a branch of quantum electronics which deals with optics at deeply subwavelength length scales. The Nanophotonics working group has developed a number of unique nanostructures which enhance the interaction of light with objects much smaller than the wavelength used to excite them. These structures include: C-apertures, quantum dots, bow-tie structures, and miniature dipole antennas. These nanostructures can be used in photolithography to create nanometer features, in magnetic recording media to dramatically increase the information storage capacity in magnetic disks, in solar energy to increase the overall efficiency of photovoltaic devices, and in biological systems to provide high resolution images.