Nanoscale optical device inspired by kirigami art

In Japanese, kiri means cutting, and gami means paper. Only, here, the paper is replaced with fine gold leaf and cut with a gallium ion beam.

Currently, when nanotechnology is on the throne, many tiny devices are born. And because of the nano size, the components also have a very small demand. Light also can't avoid the race . nano, especially when used for electronic beetles getting smaller and smaller. Small, but still extremely accurate.

That's why researchers have the idea to apply Japanese kirigami art to the device. In Japanese, kiri means cutting, and gami means paper. They cut the paper in detailed meticulous lines and then folded it into a work.

Assoc.Jiafang Li, Beijing Academy of Sciences.

Therefore, to manufacture an optical device with nano size, the research team led by Associate Professor. Ly Gia Phuong (Jiafang Li) at Beijing Academy of Science and Assoc.Prof.Dr. Phuong Xuan Lai (Nicholas Xuanlai Fang) at MIT and Cambridge, used traditional kirigami paper cutting techniques in Japan. The only other thing here, is that the fine gold foil is replaced with paper and cut with a beam of gallium ions.

Dr. Jiafang Li said, if more ions are released, the gold leaf plate will be cut. But if little, the ion beam only peels away or replaces a few gold atoms makes the sheet of expanded material uneven so warping up to create wide or narrow grooves that allow the acquisition of good light less depending on requirements. And they succeeded in streaming light at the nanoscale.

Assoc.Nicholas Xuanlai Fang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Actually, in the past, the potential of kirigami has been seen but every effort to exploit is still difficult. So this time, the researchers set up the equations to predict the variation of the gold leaf plate according to the conditions of the ion beam density and path to be used.

The researchers had the idea of ​​applying Japanese kirigami art to the device.

It is from this traditional Japanese paper cutting art that suggests the direction of light-oriented work at the nanoscale.

The sheets with these cutting lines have created this narrow-narrow auto-slot slot that is then 3D printed into optical devices that can interact with light to be transmitted in the right direction. And then, among the nanoscale beams created, the researchers will choose the optimal beam of light to put into the application.