Ultra-efficient nanoparticle trapping by integrated plasmonic dimers.

We numerically demonstrate that gold dimers coupled with a silicon-on-insulator waveguide enable an efficient plasmonic tweezing of dielectric nanobeads, having radii down to 50 nm. By means of a rigorous 3D finite difference time domain and simplified gradient force-based calculations, we investigate the effect of the gap size involved on the tweezing action. We also demonstrate that the scattering force helps the trapping in the proximity of the dimer, thanks to the establishment of light vortices.

Integrated plasmonic nanotweezers for nanoparticle manipulation.

We numerically demonstrate that short gold nanoparticle chains coupled to traditional SOI waveguides allow conceiving surface plasmon-based nanotweezers. This configuration provides for jumpless control of the trapping position of a nano-object as a function of the excitation wavelength, allowing for linear repositioning. This novel feature can be captivating for the conception of compact integrated optomechanical nanoactuators.