Design of nanoslotted photonic crystal waveguide cavities for single nanoparticle trapping and detection

We design and numerically simulate an on-chip photonic device that integrates both optical manipulation and detection functionalities for a single nanoparticle or macromolecule. A unique combination of a photonic crystal waveguide cavity and a nanoslot structure leads to a similar to 1300 times enhancement of the optical gradient trapping force compared with a conventional waveguide trapping device. Numerical simulations indicate that the designed device is capable of stably trapping a single nanoparticle inside the nanoslot cavity, and thus provides an ideal platform for single particle detection and analysis using cavity-enhanced spectroscopic technologies. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America