Abstract

Since the pioneering work of Kawata and Tani [1], photonic waveguides have long been regarded as efficient optical conveyor belts for potential lab-on-a-chip applications. Indeed, near-field optical forces arising at the surface of such waveguides lead to efficient on-chip guided propulsion of micro- and even nanoparticles [2], as well as cells and bacteria in liquid solutions [3]. However, achieving stable and precisely controlled optical trapping of particles at the surface of a waveguide has been made possible only recently, and even then, it still requires complex photonic electro-optic tools to produce and handle on-chip standing waves [4].

© 2019 IEEE