IMR: Development of Near-Field Nanophotonic Scanning Microscope for Biomaterials Research and Education

IMR：开发用于生物材料研究和教育的近场纳米光子扫描显微镜

• 批准号: 0817541
• 负责人: Xiaojing Zhang
• 金额: $ 24.71万
• 依托单位: University of Texas at Austin
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2011-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0817541&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: IMR; Development; Near; Field; Nanophotonic

Technical AbstractThe objective of this proposal is to build a novel near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM), integrating a scanning MEMS probe with a single-layer nanocrystals based light emitting diode (Nano-LED) fabricated on the probe tip, for molecular imaging and patterning of biological materials. The expected light source size is 5~10 nm, an order of magnitude reduction from that of a current advanced NSOM. The emission wavelength of the probe covers the spectrum from near-UV to the visible range, with imaging resolutions well beyond the diffraction limit. The ?Nano-Light source on chip? technology will open many exciting opportunities in biomedical and industrial applications including near-field microscopy of sub-cellular structures, direct material patterning, ultra high-density data storage, and compact light-on-chip biosensors and biochips.Non-technical AbstractThe proposed near-field imaging instrument will be developed using a new class of scanning probes with nanoscale light emitting probe tip, where the emission is well confined in a single layer of nanoparticles (diameter: 5~10nm). Downsizing the integrated light source on the probe directly leads to improvement of the resolving power of the microscope. The main benefits of the new instrument can be summarized as: (1) the silicon scanning probe is mass-producible; (2) no external light source is required; and (3) high optical resolution substantially beyond diffraction limit; The near-field scanning optical microscope has been used to explore nano-scale structures such as inorganic nanoparticles, organic thin films, and biomaterials. We expect that the novel probe based microscope with molecular resolution will be beneficial for significantly advancing these applications. In addition, direct integration of light source on probe is highly desirable to further extend the applications of the instrument into a compact assembly in biomedical applications such as biochips or portable devices for point-of-care technologies.

技术摘要该提案的目的是建立一种新型的近场扫描光学显微镜（NSOM），将扫描MEMS探针与在概率尖端制造的单层纳米晶体发光二极管（Nano-LED）集成，以用于分子成像和生物学材料的宣传。预期的光源尺寸为5〜10 nm，比当前高级NSOM的数量级降低。探针的发射波长覆盖了从近紫外线到可见范围的光谱，成像分辨率远远超出了衍射极限。芯片上的纳米光源？技术将在生物医学和工业应用中开放许多令人兴奋的机会纳米颗粒（直径：5〜10nm）。探针上的集成光源缩小尺寸直接导致显微镜的分辨能力提高。新仪器的主要好处可以总结为：（1）硅扫描探针是可以批量生产的； （2）不需要外部光源； （3）高光学分辨率基本上超出了衍射极限；近场扫描光学显微镜已用于探索纳米尺度结构，例如无机纳米颗粒，有机薄膜和生物材料。我们预计，具有分子分辨率的新型基于探针的显微镜将有益于显着推进这些应用。此外，在探针上的直接集成在探针上的直接集成是非常需要将仪器的应用扩展到紧凑型组装中的生物医学应用中的应用，例如生物芯片或用于护理点技术的便携式设备。