Dual-Beam Nanoscale Fabrication for Optical Storage and Neuromorphic Computing

Breaking the optical diffraction limit is essential for advancing nanotechnology. This perspective discusses the advances of dual-beam nanoscale fabrication strategies, inspired by stimulated emission depletion microscopy, in enabling next-generation optical data storage and neuromorphic computing. It introduces the synergistic use of excitation and inhibition laser beams to enable super-resolution lithography, surpassing the diffraction limit to achieve feature sizes below 20 nm in photoresists and 90 nm in laser-scribed graphene. Key breakthroughs include petabit-capacity 3-dimensional optical disk memory using aggregation-induced emission materials and subdiffraction patterning of graphene for devices. Next, to achieve a breakthrough in computational power, the applications of these super-resolution techniques for fabricating optical neural networks are further outlined. We also highlight the integration of graphene-based optoelectronic synapses with optical neural networks, enabling nonvolatile information processing and paving the way for fully integrated optical neuromorphic architectures that combine sensing, storage, and processing with unprecedented energy efficiency.