Magnetism Shepherds Microlenses to Excavate 'Nanocavities'

Duke University Public Release, 30 Mar 2006 A Duke University engineer is "herding" tiny lenses with magnetic ferrofluids, precisely aligning them so that they focus bursts of light to excavate patterns of cavities on surfaces. Such photolithographically produced "nanocavities" -- each only billionths of a meter across -- might serve as repositories for molecules engineered as chemical detectors, said Benjamin Yellen, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering. Alternatively, he said, ringlike structures created via a similar technique might be useful for fabricating magnetic data storage elements. Read more