Waveguide-Mode-Enhanced Molecular Fluorescence and Other Aspects of the Dipole-Surface Problem

这项研究项目调查了波导模式增强分子荧光的物理起源，这一现象最早是由首席研究员和他的一名前博士生(他们共同持有这一过程的专利)在1985年报道的。该专利吸引了医疗诊断行业的兴趣。术语增强荧光是指与沉积在未制备的衬底上的相同数量的分子相比，沉积在适当制备的衬底上的一层分子所发出的荧光信号显著增加。从本质上讲，通过在玻璃衬底上涂上适当的层组合，可以显著提高其作为分子荧光衬底的性能。光散射和光波导模对观测到的增强都有贡献。本研究试图建立增强过程的理论模型，并通过额外的实验验证该模型的预测。对增强过程的适当定量描述将识别实现最大增强的样品的光学性质。所提出的理论工作适用于偶极子表面问题的其他几个重要方面，即量子井垂直腔体激光器和抑制自发辐射。这些问题还有待研究，但研究的主要重点是波导模式增强的分子荧光。

This research program investigates the physical origin of waveguide-mode-enhanced molecular fluorescence, a phenomenon first reported by the Principal Investigator and one of his former Ph.D. students (who jointly hold a patent on this process) in 1985. The patent has attracted the interest of the medical diagnostics industry. The term enhanced fluorescence refers to the substantial increase in the fluorescent signal emitted by a layer of molecules deposited onto a suitably prepared substrate compared to that from the same quantity of molecules deposited onto an unprepared substrate. In essence, a glass substrate can be dramatically improved as a substrate for molecular fluorescence by overcoating it with the proper combination of layers. Both optical scattering and optical waveguide modes contribute to the observed enhancement. The research attempts to develop a theoretical model of the enhancement process and to verify the predictions of the model through additional experiments. A proper quantitative description of the enhancement process will identify the optical properties of the sample that achieve the greatest enhancement. The proposed theoretical work applies to several other aspects of the dipole-surface problem important for optoelectronics, namely quantum-well vertical- cavity lasers and suppressed spontaneous emission. these problems are to be examined, but the primary emphasis of the research is waveguide-mode- enhanced molecular fluorescence.