Orlando, Fla. ─ The Journal of Laser Applications (JLA) (http://jla.aip.org) is seeking papers from laser experts worldwide for inclusion in a special issue to focus on sub-100 nanometer laser structuring, a technology that has drawn significant interest and research funds within the past decade. The issue will be edited by Drs. Yongfeng Lu, Karsten Koenig, and Andreas Ostendorf and is scheduled to appear in early 2012.
"The occasion for the special issue is the mid-term assessment of the German DFG-funded priority program on 'Optically generated sub-100nm structures for technical and biomedical applications'," said Ostendorf, a professor at Ruhr-University Bochum near Cologne, Germany. "The special issue therefore is a unique opportunity to present the latest results relevant in the field."
The technology is worthy of closer examination because "only a decade ago, 100 nm resolution seemed to be impossible by laser direct writing without the use of big, expensive lithography machines based on UV lasers," Ostendorf noted. "Now, cheap and compact ultrafast lasers in the visible and NIR spectral region are available that can make use of nonlinear processes and allow structures far beyond the diffraction limit."
The special issue is a significant achievement for JLA because it will feature "cutting-edge research by a number of respected authors who typically publish in more physics-oriented journals," says LIA executive director Peter Baker. "It’s also worthy to note that this issue will be open access – individual papers or the entire issue can be downloaded free of charge."
Contributions will be featured from institutions in the vanguard of sub-100 nanometer laser technology, including the Max-Born Institute, the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, University of Kassel, University of Jena, Technical University of Dresden, University of Konstanz, and Laser Zentrum Hannover, among others. Submissions will be evaluated by leading international scientists, Ostendorf says. He will edit the edition along with Koenig, a professor at Saarland University in Germany, and Lu, a professor at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, NE.
"All international groups are invited to contribute and make this a comprehensive, state-of-the-art issue," Ostendorf notes. Besides regular contributions, those who wish to submit open-access papers can do so at a discounted rate of $1,200.
Deadline for submission of papers is October 14. To be considered for publication, contributions should clearly address the 100nm limit (i.e., minimum structure sizes achieved should be below 100nm), Ostendorf says. Structures can be achieved by ablation, polymerization, modification or self-organization. Accepted papers will be published in January. For further information, visit: www.lia.org/subscriptions/jla