SBIR Phase I: Atomic Force Microscope Active Optical Probe for Single Molecular Imaging and Optical Spectroscopy

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目的重点是证明原子力显微镜（AFM）探针的可行性，该探针可以同时实现纳米级光学光谱和AFM成像。由此产生的产品- AFM有源光学探针(AAOP) -代表了两种技术的成本效益混合：AFM探针和二极管激光器。目前的近场扫描光学显微镜（NSOMs）和与专用远场光学显微镜混合使用的原子力显微镜（AFMs）由于成本高和使用困难而用处有限。虽然AFM的表面表征是高度发达的，光学成像在纳米尺度上还远远落后。设想的AAOPs将在销售中制造，与竞争仪器相比，将有助于将成本降低10到100倍，同时在图像质量和易用性方面优于它们。这项工作最初的市场重点将放在AFM市场（目前为1.1亿美元），随后扩展到光谱和纳米工具组合市场（97亿美元）。作为该产品预期影响的一个例子，AAOP技术将被研究人员和工业科学家用于单分子研究、生物医学样品分析、微透镜和纳米光子器件。所有这些都比竞争技术的成本低得多。AAOP产品将在单个半导体芯片上结合微米大小的二极管激光器、光学光电探测器和AFM探针。这些独特的光学探针将执行传统AFM探针的功能，同时提供有关纳米尺度光学特性的标本信息。这代表了昂贵的NSOM工具和afm与专用远场光学方法（如共聚焦、拉曼、荧光和傅里叶变换红外光谱）的混合的成本效益替代方案。AAOP将解决当前nsom的技术挑战；即背景噪声和低灵敏度。这项工作将证明AAOP在技术和经济上的可行性，并将其安装到传统的原子力显微镜上，这是一种在学术界和工业界广泛使用的仪器。预期的技术结果将为AFM用户提供进行纳米级光学研究和表征的能力，具有更好的分辨率和更高的灵敏度，成本更低，比传统的NSOM和拉曼AFM更快。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is focused on proving the feasibility of atomic force microscopy (AFM) probes that enable nanoscale optical spectroscopy simultaneously with AFM imaging. The resulting product - an AFM Active Optical Probe (AAOP) - represents a cost-effective blend of two technologies: AFM probes and diode lasers. Current near-field scanning optical microscopes (NSOMs) and hybrid AFMs with specialized far-field optical microscopes have limited usefulness because of high cost and difficulty of use. Though AFM for surface characterization is highly developed, optical imaging at the nanoscale lags far behind. The envisioned AAOPs will be manufacturable at sale and will facilitate a cost reduction of 10 to 100 times as compared with competing instruments, while outperforming them in image quality and ease of use. The initial market focus of this effort will be on the AFM market (currently $110 million), with a later expansion into the combined spectroscopy and nanotools market of $9.7 billion. As one example of the expected impact of this product, the AAOP technology will be used by researchers and industrial scientists for single molecule studies, biomedical sample analysis, and for microlenses and nanophotonic devices?all at a substantially lower cost than competing technologies. The AAOP product will combine a micrometer-sized diode laser, an optical photo detector, and an AFM probe on a single semiconductor chip. These unique optical probes will perform the functions of conventional AFM probes and will simultaneously provide specimen information about optical properties at the nanoscale. This represents a cost-effective alternative to expensive NSOM tools, and to hybrids of AFMs with specialized far-field optical methods such as confocal, Raman, fluorescence, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The AAOP will address the technical challenges of current NSOMs; namely, background noise and low sensitivity. This effort will demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of the AAOP, fitting it onto a conventional AFM, an instrument that is widely used in both academia and industry. The anticipated technical results will provide AFM users the ability to carry out nanoscale optical studies and characterization with better resolution and higher sensitivity, at much lower cost, and more quickly than is possible with conventional NSOM and Raman AFMs.