  Optical trapping describes the interaction between light and matter to
manipulate micro-objects through momentum transfer. In the case of 3D trapping
with a single beam, this is termed optical tweezers. Optical tweezers are a
powerful and non-invasive tool for manipulating small objects, which have
become indispensable in many fields, including physics, biology, soft condensed
matter, amongst others. In the early days, optical trapping were typically used
with a single Gaussian beam. In recent years, we have witnessed the rapid
progress in the use of structured light beams with customized phase, amplitude
and polarization in optical trapping. Unusual beam properties, such as phase
singularities on-axis, propagation invariant nature, have opened up novel
capabilities to the study of micromanipulation in liquid, air and vacuum. In
this review, we summarize the recent advances in the field of optical trapping
using structured light beams.
