Fabrication, Characterization, and Far-Field Optical Properties of an Ordered Array of Nanoapertures

An ordered array of nanometer-sized optical apertures is created on the distal face of a coherent optical fiber bundle. The fabrication steps derived from SNOM probes technology allowed to produce a high-density array of apertures with adjustable dimensions which retains the initial architecture of the bundle. Moreover, each optical nanoaperture is surrounded by a gold ring-shaped nanoelectrode. The far-field angular distribution of light intensity transmitted through the array shows a diffracting behavior which is a function of the aperture sizes. This analysis demonstrates its potential use as a near-field optical array. Such an array plays therefore a bridging role by interrelating information obtained concomitantly at the nanometer and micrometer scales. Furthermore, since the nanoring electrodes show excellent electrochemical properties, the near-field optical information can be completed by combining it with an orthogonal technique, such as electrochemistry.