Femtosecond laser near-field nanoablation patterning using Mie resonance high dielectric constant particle with small size parameter

We demonstrate near-field nanohole patterning using a Mie resonance, small size parameter particle for nanofabrication technology regardless of substrate's refractive index. Maximal enhancement factor and nearly smallest spot diameter among the same size dielectric particles are simultaneously obtainable on both low-refractive-index SiO2 and high-refractive-index Si substrates with a 200 nm particle of magnetic quadrupole resonance scattering mode (n similar to 2.7) at 400 nm excitation wavelength. Circular nanoholes with approximately 100 nm in diameter were fabricated on both substrates using a 200 nm amorphous TiO2 particle (n=2.66+0.024i) even with lower laser fluences than a half ablation threshold of the bare substrates. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3458704]