Design of an optical trapping device based on an ultra-high Q/V resonant structure

Abstract

A novel photonic/plasmonic cavity based on a 1-D photonic crystal cavity vertically coupled to a plasmonic gold structure is reported. The design has been optimized to achieve an ultra-high Q/V ratio, therefore improving the light-matter interaction and making the device suitable for optical trapping applications. Accurate 3-D finite element method (FEM) simulations have been carried out to evaluate the device behavior and performance. The device shows Q = 2.8 × 103 and V = 4 × 10-4 (λn)3, which correspond to a QV = 7 × 106(λn)-3 with a resonance transmission around 50% at λR = 1589.62nm. A strong gradient of the optical energy has been observed in the metal structure at the resonance, inducing a strong optical force and allowing a single particle trapping with a diameter less than 100 nm. The device turns out very useful for novel biomedical applications, such as proteomics and oncology.