Nanohole arrays in metal films as optofluidic elements: progress and potential

Subwavelength holes in metal films exhibit coupled optical phenomena specific to structure geometry, incident light and properties of the near-surface medium. As optofluidic components, nanohole arrays in metal films present several opportunities. This review provides an overview of the unique optical characteristics of such arrays, with emphasis on their application in the micro and nano-fluidic environment. The majority of contributions in this area have focused on sensor applications, and the results of nanohole array based chemical and biomolecular sensors are reviewed here. Also relevant to on-chip analysis, various field and spectroscopic enhancements achieved with nanohole arrays are discussed. The general benefits and limitations of nanohole arrays for analytical applications are discussed in the context of existing tools. Beyond sensing, particle trapping and other potential optofluidic applications of nanohole arrays are discussed.

金属膜中的亚波长孔呈现出与结构几何形状、入射光以及近表面介质特性相关的耦合光学现象。作为光流体组件，金属膜中的纳米孔阵列带来了一些机遇。本综述概述了此类阵列独特的光学特性，重点介绍了它们在微纳流体环境中的应用。该领域的大部分研究都集中在传感器应用上，本文综述了基于纳米孔阵列的化学和生物分子传感器的研究结果。与芯片分析相关的是，还讨论了纳米孔阵列实现的各种场增强和光谱增强。在现有工具的背景下，讨论了纳米孔阵列用于分析应用的一般优势和局限性。除了传感之外，还讨论了纳米孔阵列在粒子捕获和其他潜在光流体应用方面的情况。