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

摘要本课题的目标是构建一种新型近场扫描光学显微镜（NSOM），将扫描MEMS探针与探针尖端制备的单层纳米晶体发光二极管（Nano-LED）集成在一起，用于生物材料的分子成像和图像化。预计光源尺寸为5~ 10nm，比目前先进的NSOM减小了一个数量级。探针的发射波长覆盖了从近紫外到可见光范围的光谱，其成像分辨率远远超出了衍射极限。的吗?芯片纳米光源？技术将在生物医学和工业应用中开辟许多令人兴奋的机会，包括亚细胞结构的近场显微镜，直接材料图像化，超高密度数据存储以及紧凑的光片生物传感器和生物芯片。摘要本文提出的近场成像仪器将采用一种新型的扫描探针，其探针尖端具有纳米级发光，其发射被很好地限制在单层纳米颗粒（直径：5~10nm）中。缩小探头上集成光源的尺寸直接导致显微镜分辨能力的提高。新仪器的主要优点可以概括为：(1)硅扫描探头可批量生产；(2)不需要外部光源；(3)光学分辨率高，基本超过衍射极限；近场扫描光学显微镜已被用于探索纳米级结构，如无机纳米颗粒、有机薄膜和生物材料。我们期望这种新型探针显微镜具有分子分辨率，将有助于显著推进这些应用。此外，在探针上直接集成光源是非常理想的，以进一步将仪器的应用扩展到生物医学应用中的紧凑组件中，例如生物芯片或用于即时护理技术的便携式设备。

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.