Enhanced optical superfocusing effect at an all-dielectric nanocone tip

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Authors: Weinan Feng, Makoto Tsubokawa
Cited by: 0

Abstract

We present a novel method for generating an extremely confined nanoscale light field using an all-dielectric conical nanotip coupled to a microfiber. By launching a radially polarized TM01 mode into the tip, we achieve constructive interference of longitudinal electric field components at the apex, resulting in a highly localized optical hotspot with sub-10 nm dimensions and a mode volume as small as 10¯₇ λ³. This approach overcomes the limitations of conventional dielectric tips and rivals plasmonic superfocusing without incurring ohmic losses. Numerical simulations reveal that the focal spot features a high intensity enhancement ratio (> 3500), strong peak-to-background contrast (> 30 dB), and circular symmetry. Furthermore, we demonstrate the ability to shape the light field into arbitrary nanoscale patterns by modifying the tip geometry. These findings open new avenues for low-loss, high-precision light confinement in applications such as optical nano tweezers, nanoscopy, nano lasers and nanoparticle spectroscopy.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Near-Field Optical Microscopy Plasmonic and Surface Plasmon Research Orbital Angular Momentum in Optics

Publication details

Journal / source
Figshare
Publication date
1 January 2026