Australian scientists created tiny antennas, likened to spotlights on the nanoscale which offers the potential to measure food safety, identify pollutants in the air and even quickly diagnose and treat cancer.The new antennas are cubic in shape and it does a better job than the previous spherical ones at directing an ultra-narrow beam of light, with little or no loss due to heating and scattering.
Debabrata Sikdar, a doctoral research student from India (a Birla Institute of Technology & Science (B.I.T.S.), Pilani Alumnus) working with 'Victoria India Doctoral Scholarship' at Monash University in Victoria, Australia, describe these and other envisioned applications for their nanocubes in "laboratories-on-a-chip."
Sikdar's paper presents analysis and simulation of 200-nm dielectric nanoncubes placed in the path of visible and near-infrared light sources. The nanocubes are arranged in a chain, and the space between them can be adjusted to fine-tune the light beam as needed for various applications. As the separation between cubes goes on increasing, the angular width of the beam narrows and directionality improves, the researchers say.
In an interview Sikdar said that "Unidirectional nanoantennas induce directionality to any omnidirectional light emitters like microlasers, nanolasers or spasers, and even quantum dots,". Quantum dots are tiny crystals that produce specific colors, based on their size, and are widely used in colour televisions. He also said that "Analogous to nanoscale spotlights, the cubic antennas focus light with precise control over direction and beam width,".
The new cubic nanoantennas have the potential to revolutionize the infant field of nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS)."They can potentially replace the lossy on-chip IC (integrated circuit) interconnects, via transmitting optical signals within and among ICs, to ensure ultrafast data processing while minimizing device heating,"Sikdar said."These unidirectional nanoantennas are also the most suitable for integrated optics-based biosensors to detect proteins, DNA, antibodies, enzymes, etc., in truly portable lab-on-a-chip platforms of the future,"he added.
Sikdar and his colleagues plan to begin constructing unidirectional cubic NEMS antennas in the near future at the Melbourne Center for Nanofabrication.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
Debabrata Sikdar, a doctoral research student from India (a Birla Institute of Technology & Science (B.I.T.S.), Pilani Alumnus) working with 'Victoria India Doctoral Scholarship' at Monash University in Victoria, Australia, describe these and other envisioned applications for their nanocubes in "laboratories-on-a-chip."
Sikdar's paper presents analysis and simulation of 200-nm dielectric nanoncubes placed in the path of visible and near-infrared light sources. The nanocubes are arranged in a chain, and the space between them can be adjusted to fine-tune the light beam as needed for various applications. As the separation between cubes goes on increasing, the angular width of the beam narrows and directionality improves, the researchers say.
In an interview Sikdar said that "Unidirectional nanoantennas induce directionality to any omnidirectional light emitters like microlasers, nanolasers or spasers, and even quantum dots,". Quantum dots are tiny crystals that produce specific colors, based on their size, and are widely used in colour televisions. He also said that "Analogous to nanoscale spotlights, the cubic antennas focus light with precise control over direction and beam width,".
The new cubic nanoantennas have the potential to revolutionize the infant field of nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS)."They can potentially replace the lossy on-chip IC (integrated circuit) interconnects, via transmitting optical signals within and among ICs, to ensure ultrafast data processing while minimizing device heating,"Sikdar said."These unidirectional nanoantennas are also the most suitable for integrated optics-based biosensors to detect proteins, DNA, antibodies, enzymes, etc., in truly portable lab-on-a-chip platforms of the future,"he added.
Sikdar and his colleagues plan to begin constructing unidirectional cubic NEMS antennas in the near future at the Melbourne Center for Nanofabrication.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
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