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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Fabrication of Zero Mode Waveguides for High Concentration Single Molecule Microscopy
Published on: May 12, 2020
Massively sub-wavelength guiding of electromagnetic waves
I R Hooper1, B Tremain1, J A Dockrey1
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QL.
Abstract:
Recently a new form of ultra-thin flexible waveguide consisting of a conducting comb-like structure with a thickness of the order of 1/600(th) of the operating wavelength was presented. However, whilst the thickness of the guide was massively sub-wavelength, the remaining dimensions (the height and period of the comb) were much longer. In this paper we propose, and experimentally verify, that a modified guiding geometry consisting of a chain of ultra-thin conducting spirals allows guiding of electromagnetic waves with wavelengths that are many times (40+) longer than any characteristic dimension of the guide, enabling super-sub-wavelength guiding and localisation of electromagnetic energy.
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