Micro‐ and nanooptics – an overview

Since the 1960s the minimum feature size of lithographic fabrication has shrunk from tens of micrometers to now a few nanometers, i.e. by one order of magnitude per decade. With the adaptation of lithographic techniques to the fabrication of optical elements, first micro‐ and more recently nanostructured optics was shown to be both feasible and useful. However, the incredibly shrinking feature size down to the scale of the optical wavelength and below does not only represent a quantitative measure, but it stands for qualitatively different optical phenomena that occur in the subwavelength regime. In that regard, micro‐ and nanooptics are two different worlds. Their common feature, however, is the succession of steps: computer‐based design, modeling and simulation, fabrication and technology, characterization and application. We review recent progress in micro‐ and nanooptics by describing the state‐of‐the art and by emphasizing specific areas of interest.