All-dielectric nanotweezers for trapping and observation of a single quantum dot

Zhe Xu and Kenneth B. Crozier

We report the optical trapping of a single streptavidin-coated CdSe/ZnS quantum dot whose overall diameter is around 15–20 nm, in a microfluidic chamber by an all-dielectric (silicon) nanotweezer with negligible local heating. The use of fluorescence microscopy allows us to readily observe trapping events, tracking the fluorescence emission from, and the position of, each individual trapped quantum dot as a function of time. The blinking behavior of the quantum dots is observed during the trapping process, that is, in the near field region of the silicon nanoantenna. We furthermore show that the continuous wave infrared laser employed to trap the quantum dots can also excite photoluminescence from them via two-photon absorption. We present Maxwell stress tensor simulations of optical forces applied to a single quantum dot in the nanoantenna’s vicinity. This work demonstrates that all-dielectric nanotweezers are a promising means to handle quantum dots in solution, enabling them to be localized for observations over extended periods of time.

DOI