Gordon S. Kino

Bio: Gordon S. Kino is an academic researcher from Stanford University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Optical fiber & Graded-index fiber. The author has an hindex of 9, co-authored 33 publications receiving 1392 citations. Previous affiliations of Gordon S. Kino include W. M. Keck Foundation.

Solid immersion microscope

Abstract: A new type of real‐time optical microscope has been developed that operates on the same principle as a liquid immersion microscope, with the liquid replaced by a solid lens of high refractive index material. Using a lens with an index n=2 and 436 nm illumination, this microscope has resolved 100 nm lines and spaces and has demonstrated a factor of two improvement in the edge response over a confocal microscope.

Near‐field optical data storage using a solid immersion lens

Abstract: A near‐field optical technique, using a new type of solid immersion lens (SIL), has been developed and applied to the writing and reading of domains in magneto‐optic material. The SIL is a truncated glass sphere which serves to increase the numerical aperture of the optical system by n2, where n is the index of refraction of the lens material. Using a SIL made from n=1.83 glass and illuminating with 780 nm light, we have achieved a 317 nm spot size. We have resolved a 500 nm period grating, and written and read 350 nm diameter magnetic domains. The technique should be capable of a 125 nm focused spot size using blue light.

Microfabricated silicon solid immersion lens

Abstract: We present the microfabrication of a solid immersion lens from silicon for scanning near-field optical microscopy. The solid immersion lens (SIL) achieves spatial resolution better than the diffraction limit in air without the losses associated with tapered optical fibers. A 15-/spl mu/m-diameter SIL is formed by reflowing photoresist in acetone vapor and transferring the shape into single-crystal Si with reactive ion etching. The lens is integrated onto a cantilever for scanning, and a tip is fabricated opposite the lens to localize lens-sample contact. Using the Si SIL, we show that microfabricrated lenses have greater optical transparency and less aberration than conventional lenses by focusing a plane wave of 633-nm light to a spot close to a wavelength in diameter. Microlenses made from absorbing materials can be used when the lens thickness Is comparable to the penetration depth of the light. Tolerance to errors in curvature and thickness is improved in micromachined lenses, because spherical aberrations decrease with lens diameter. We demonstrate scanning near-field optical microscopy with the Si SIL and achieve spatial resolution below the diffraction limit in air by resolving 200-nm lines with 633-nm light.

Photonic crystal structure sensor

Abstract: An acoustic sensor and a method of fabricating an acoustic sensor are provided. The acoustic sensor includes at least one photonic crystal structure and an optical fiber having an end optically coupled to the at least one photonic crystal structure. The acoustic sensor further includes a structural portion mechanically coupled to the at least one photonic crystal structure and to the optical fiber. The at least one photonic crystal structure, the optical fiber, and the structural portion substantially bound a region having a volume such that a frequency response of the acoustic sensor is generally flat in a range of acoustic frequencies.

Optical-fiber-compatible acoustic sensor

Abstract: An acoustic sensor includes a diaphragm having a reflective element. The sensor has an optical fiber positioned relative to the reflective element such that light emitted from the optical fiber is reflected by the reflective element. A first end of the optical fiber and the reflective element form an optical cavity therebetween. The acoustic sensor further includes a structural element mechanically coupled to the diaphragm and the optical fiber. The structural element includes a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion substantially similar to the coefficient of thermal expansion of the optical fiber. For example, the material can be silica.

Principles of nano-optics

Abstract: 1. Introduction 2. Theoretical foundations 3. Propagation and focusing of optical fields 4. Spatial resolution and position accuracy 5. Nanoscale optical microscopy 6. Near-field optical probes 7. Probe-sample distance control 8. Light emission and optical interaction in nanoscale environments 9. Quantum emitters 10. Dipole emission near planar interfaces 11. Photonic crystals and resonators 12. Surface plasmons 13. Forces in confined fields 14. Fluctuation-induced phenomena 15. Theoretical methods in nano-optics Appendices Index.

A quantum gas microscope for detecting single atoms in a Hubbard-regime optical lattice

Abstract: A new quantum gas microscope that bridges the gap between microscopic and macroscopic approaches to the study of quantum systems has been developed. It uses high-resolution optical imaging to detect single atoms held in a holographically generated optical lattice. Its potential is demonstrated by the production of images of single rubidium atoms confined to an optical lattice with spacings of just 640 nanometres between atoms. The approach should facilitate quantum simulation of condensed-matter systems and find possible application in addressing and read-out of large-scale quantum information systems based on ultracold atoms. There are two different approaches for creating complex atomic many-body quantum systems — the macroscopic and the microscopic — which have, until now, been fairly disconnected. A quantum gas 'microscope' is now demonstrated that bridges the two approaches and can be used to detect single atoms held in a Hubbard-regime optical lattice. This quantum gas microscope may enable addressing and read-out of large-scale quantum information systems based on ultracold atoms. Recent years have seen tremendous progress in creating complex atomic many-body quantum systems. One approach is to use macroscopic, effectively thermodynamic ensembles of ultracold atoms to create quantum gases and strongly correlated states of matter, and to analyse the bulk properties of the ensemble. For example, bosonic and fermionic atoms in a Hubbard-regime optical lattice1,2,3,4,5 can be used for quantum simulations of solid-state models6. The opposite approach is to build up microscopic quantum systems atom-by-atom, with complete control over all degrees of freedom7,8,9. The atoms or ions act as qubits and allow the realization of quantum gates, with the goal of creating highly controllable quantum information systems. Until now, the macroscopic and microscopic strategies have been fairly disconnected. Here we present a quantum gas ‘microscope’ that bridges the two approaches, realizing a system in which atoms of a macroscopic ensemble are detected individually and a complete set of degrees of freedom for each of them is determined through preparation and measurement. By implementing a high-resolution optical imaging system, single atoms are detected with near-unity fidelity on individual sites of a Hubbard-regime optical lattice. The lattice itself is generated by projecting a holographic mask through the imaging system. It has an arbitrary geometry, chosen to support both strong tunnel coupling between lattice sites and strong on-site confinement. Our approach can be used to directly detect strongly correlated states of matter; in the context of condensed matter simulation, this corresponds to the detection of individual electrons in the simulated crystal. Also, the quantum gas microscope may enable addressing and read-out of large-scale quantum information systems based on ultracold atoms.

Heat Assisted Magnetic Recording

Abstract: Heat-assisted magnetic recording is a promising approach for enabling large increases in the storage density of hard disk drives. A laser is used to momentarily heat the recording area of the medium to reduce its coercivity below that of the applied magnetic field from the recording head. In such a system, the recording materials have a very high magnetic anisotropy, which is essential for the thermal stability of the magnetization of the extremely small grains in the medium. This technology involves new recording physics, new approaches to near field optics, a recording head that integrates optics and magnetics, new recording materials, lubricants that can withstand extremely high temperatures, and new approaches to the recording channel design. This paper surveys the challenges for this technology and the progress that has been made in addressing them.

Physics of negative refractive index materials

Abstract: In the past few years, new developments in structured electromagnetic materials have given rise to negative refractive index materials which have both negative dielectric permittivity and negative magnetic permeability in some frequency ranges. The idea of a negative refractive index opens up new conceptual frontiers in photonics. One much-debated example is the concept of a perfect lens that enables imaging with sub-wavelength image resolution. Here we review the fundamental concepts and ideas of negative refractive index materials. First we present the ideas of structured materials or meta-materials that enable the design of new materials with a negative dielectric permittivity, negative magnetic permeability and negative refractive index. We discuss how a variety of resonance phenomena can be utilized to obtain these materials in various frequency ranges over the electromagnetic spectrum. The choice of the wave-vector in negative refractive index materials and the issues of dispersion, causality and energy transport are analysed. Various issues of wave propagation including nonlinear effects and surface modes in negative refractive materials (NRMs) are discussed. In the latter part of the review, we discuss the concept of a perfect lens consisting of a slab of a NRM. This perfect lens can image the far-field radiative components as well as the nearfield evanescent components, and is not subject to the traditional diffraction limit. Different aspects of this lens such as the surface modes acting as the mechanism for the imaging of the evanescent waves, the limitations imposed by dissipation and dispersion in the negative refractive media, the generalization of this lens to optically complementary media and the possibility of magnification of the near-field images are discussed. Recent experimental developments verifying these ideas are briefly covered. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)