Fiber Aids Atom Deposition

A group of Japanese and Korean researchers have discovered an atom deposition technique that overcomes the diffraction limit in optical lithography. The researchers sent atoms down a micron-size, hollow optical fiber, with a blue detuned evanescent light. Evanescent light is unique because it is unaffected by diffraction, allowing researchers to precisely control a small number of atoms. This, they hypothesize, should enable users of the 300-nm hollow fiber and evanescent light to create smaller, three-dimensional structures such as quantum dots and other atomic-level matter. This type of atom deposition is especially pure, which is important for atomic-level crystal growth.