Self-assembly of size- and position-controlled ultralong nanodot chains using near-field optical desorption

We report the self-assembly of a size- and position-controlled ultralong nanodot chain using a novel effect of near-field optical desorption. A sub-100-nm dot chain with a deviation of 5 nm forms at a size based on plasmon resonance, depending on the photon energy; the resulting structure forms a high-transmission-efficiency nanoscale waveguide. Using this method with simple lithographically patterned substrates allows one to increase the throughput of the production of nanoscale structures dramatically at all scales.