Structures with periods as small as 140 nm can be created employing evanesc
ently decaying components combined with ultrathin resists in optical lithog
raphy. The technique, called ENFOL (evanescent near-field optical lithograp
hy) (see Figure), its applications, and simulations of the process are unra
veled in this review. ENFOL promises the high-throughput. low-cost, nanomet
er-scale patterning of large areas.