The present disclosure concerns a device for forming a field intensity pattern in the near zone, from electromagnetic waves which are incident on said device. Notably, such a device allows confining electromagnetic waves, which are incident on the device, into beams of radiation in the near zone. It comprises at least one layer of dielectric material, which surface has at least one abrupt change of level forming a step. A lower and lateral part of said surface with respect to said step is in contact with a substance having a refractive index lower than that of said dielectric material. For an incident electromagnetic wave impinging upon the device in the vicinity of such a step, the corresponding step of index it encounters produces a complex electromagnetic phenomenon, which allows generating low-dispersive condensed beams and specific field patterns in the near zone.

The present disclosure concerns a device for forming a field intensity pattern in the near zone, from electromagnetic waves which are incident on said device. Notably, such a device allows confining electromagnetic waves, which are incident on the device, into beams of radiation in the near zone. It comprises at least one layer of dielectric material, which surface has at least one abrupt change of level forming a step. A lower and lateral part of said surface with respect to said step is in contact with a substance having a refractive index lower than that of said dielectric material. For an incident electromagnetic wave impinging upon the device in the vicinity of such a step, the corresponding step of index it encounters produces a complex electromagnetic phenomenon, which allows generating low-dispersive condensed beams and specific field patterns in the near zone.

The invention relates to a device (1) for creating a patterned evanescent field on the surface (S) of a dioptre comprising an objective lens (O), in an image focal plane of which the surface (S) of the dioptre is arranged, a light injection element (2) emitting a collimated light beam (B), an optical assembly (4) between the element (2) and the objective lens (O) by which the object plane of the objective lens (O) is optically conjugate with the image plane of the element (2), the assembly (4) being configured so that a collimated light beam (B) from the element (4) is emitted towards the objective lens (O) to be reflected towards the surface (S) of the dioptre with an angle of incidence greater than or equal to the critical angle of the dioptre, an optical device (FS1) for forming patterns is in the object plane of the element (2), so that the pattern formed by the optical device for forming patterns in transmitted light on the light beam in the object plane of the element (2) is found on the surface of the dioptre.

The invention relates to a device (1) for creating a patterned evanescent field on the surface (S) of a dioptre comprising an objective lens (O), in an image focal plane of which the surface (S) of the dioptre is arranged, a light injection element (2) emitting a collimated light beam (B), an optical assembly (4) between the element (2) and the objective lens (O) by which the object plane of the objective lens (O) is optically conjugate with the image plane of the element (2), the assembly (4) being configured so that a collimated light beam (B) from the element (4) is emitted towards the objective lens (O) to be reflected towards the surface (S) of the dioptre with an angle of incidence greater than or equal to the critical angle of the dioptre, an optical device (FS1) for forming patterns is in the object plane of the element (2), so that the pattern formed by the optical device for forming patterns in transmitted light on the light beam in the object plane of the element (2) is found on the surface of the dioptre.

A method for characterising a sample located within an imaging region, the method comprising the steps of: generating one or more evanescent fields, each associated with a direction, within the imaging region; capturing an image of the imaging region; determining 5 one or more sample characteristics of the sample according to a spatial intensity pattern resulting from an interaction between the, or each, evanescent field and the sample within the image, and associated apparatus and system.

A method for characterising a sample located within an imaging region, the method comprising the steps of: generating one or more evanescent fields, each associated with a direction, within the imaging region; capturing an image of the imaging region; determining 5 one or more sample characteristics of the sample according to a spatial intensity pattern resulting from an interaction between the, or each, evanescent field and the sample within the image, and associated apparatus and system.

A light transmission structure is provided for use, in conjunction with a light source and detector, for selective detection of biomolecule interactions and/or absorption of infrared light. The light transmission structure includes a substrate having a bottom surface adapted to couple the light source and detector to the light transmission structure, a coupling and enhancing layer disposed on at least a portion of an upper surface of the substrate, a first near-critical angle anti-reflective coating (NCA-ARC) layer disposed on at least a portion of an upper surface of the coupling and enhancing layer, and a second NCA-ARC layer disposed on at least a portion of an upper surface of the first NCA-ARC layer. An upper surface of the second NCA-ARC layer is functionalized and textured so that transmitted incident light is scattered out of the light transmission structure. A difference in refractive index between adjacent NCA-ARC layers is less than about 0.01.

A device for shielding a sub-wavelength-scale object from an electromagnetic wave incident on the device. The device includes a layer of dielectric material, a surface of which has a change of level forming a step. The step is in contact with a medium having a refractive index that is lower than a refractive index of the dielectric material. The sub-wavelength-scale object is located within the device in a quiet zone where an electromagnetic field intensity is below a threshold, the quiet zone extending above said surface, in a vicinity of the step, in a direction of incidence of said incident electromagnetic wave.

Layered coating applications for sensing telemetry are provided. An example method can include depositing, on a surface of a tool, a waveguide including a first layer of low refractive-index material, a second layer of high refractive-index material applied to a surface of the first layer, and a third layer of low refractive-index material applied to a surface of the second layer; configuring an evanescent wave interaction region on the waveguide, the evanescent wave interaction region including the first layer of low refractive-index material, the second layer of high refractive-index material, and an outer layer of low refractive-index material having a reduced thickness; configuring, at a second location of the waveguide, a non-uniformity configured to reflect light; determining characteristics of the reflected light after traveling through the evanescent wave interaction region; and based on the characteristics of light reflected by the non-uniformity, detecting characteristics of an environment of the tool.

Layered coating applications for sensing telemetry are provided. An example method can include depositing, on a surface of a tool, a waveguide including a first layer of low refractive-index material, a second layer of high refractive-index material applied to a surface of the first layer, and a third layer of low refractive-index material applied to a surface of the second layer; configuring an evanescent wave interaction region on the waveguide, the evanescent wave interaction region including the first layer of low refractive-index material, the second layer of high refractive-index material, and an outer layer of low refractive-index material having a reduced thickness; configuring, at a second location of the waveguide, a non-uniformity configured to reflect light; determining characteristics of the reflected light after traveling through the evanescent wave interaction region; and based on the characteristics of light reflected by the non-uniformity, detecting characteristics of an environment of the tool.