FIB-milled plasmonic nanoapertures allow for long trapping times of individual proteins

We have developed a fabrication methodology for label-free optical trapping of individual nanobeads and proteins in inverted-bowtie-shaped plasmonic gold nanopores. Arrays of these nanoapertures can be reliably produced using focused ion beam (FIB) milling with gap sizes of 10–20 nm, single-nanometer variation, and with a remarkable stability...