Wave-guided Optical Waveguides tracked and coupled using dynamic diffractive optics

With light’s miniscule momentum, shrinking robotics down to the micro- and nano-scale regime creates opportunities for exploiting optical forces and near-field light delivery in advanced actuation and control atthe smallest physical dimensions. Advancing light-driven nano- or micro-actuation requires the optimization of optical forces and optical torques that, in turn, requires the optimization of the underlying light-matter interaction [1]. We have previously proposed and demonstrated micro-targeted light-delivery and the opto-mechanical capabilities of so-called wave-guided optical waveguides (WOWs) [2]. As the WOWs are optically trapped and maneuvered in 3D-space, it is important to maintain efficient light-coupling through these free-standing waveguides within their operating volume [3]. We propose the use ofdynamic diffractive techniques to create focal spots that will track and couple to the WOWs during full volume operation. This is done by using a spatial light modulator to encode the necessary diffractive phase patterns to generate the multiple and dynamic coupling spots. The method is initially tested for a single WOW and we have experimentally demonstrated dynamic tracking and coupling for both lateral and axial displacements on our proprietary Biophotonics Workstation.