US Patent 7834331 - Laser microsurgery with nanoablation

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7834331.html

Femtosecond laser microsurgery (FLMS) is a technique which allows for the precise manipulation of subcellular structures but requires submicron targeting to be effective. This patent from the University of Texas System teaches a method using metal or carbon nanostructures as a way to focus the laser energy with submicron precision. Claim 1 reads: 

1. A method comprising:

positioning a nanoparticle in proximity to a surface of a material;

irradiating the nanoparticle with a laser tuned to the nanoparticle's plasmonic frequency; and

allowing a near-field effect from the irradiated nanoparticle to photodamage the material.