Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Design and Fabrication of Fiber-Optic Nanoprobes for Optical Sensing

Publication ,  Journal Article
Zhang, Y; Dhawan, A; Vo-Dinh, T
Published in: Nanoscale Research Letters
January 1, 2011

This paper describes the design and fabrication of fiber-optic nanoprobes developed for optical detection in single living cells. It is critical to fabricate probes with well-controlled nanoapertures for optimized spatial resolution and optical transmission. The detection sensitivity of fiber-optic nanoprobe depends mainly on the extremely small excitation volume that is determined by the aperture sizes and penetration depths. We investigate the angle dependence of the aperture in shadow evaporation of the metal coating onto the tip wall. It was found that nanoaperture diameters of approximately 50 nm can be achieved using a 25° tilt angle. On the other hand, the aperture size is sensitive to the subtle change of the metal evaporation angle and could be blocked by irregular metal grains. Through focused ion beam (FIB) milling, optical nanoprobes with well-defined aperture size as small as 200 nm can be obtained. Finally, we illustrate the use of the nanoprobes by detecting a fluorescent species, benzo[a]pyrene tetrol (BPT), in single living cells. A quantitative estimation of the numbers of BPT molecules detected using fiber-optic nanoprobes for BPT solutions shows that the limit of detection was approximately 100 molecules. © 2010 The Author(s).

Duke Scholars

Published In

Nanoscale Research Letters

DOI

EISSN

1556-276X

ISSN

1931-7573

Publication Date

January 1, 2011

Volume

6

Issue

1

Start / End Page

1 / 6

Related Subject Headings

  • Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
  • 5104 Condensed matter physics
  • 4018 Nanotechnology
  • 4016 Materials engineering
  • 1007 Nanotechnology
  • 0912 Materials Engineering
  • 0204 Condensed Matter Physics
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Zhang, Y., Dhawan, A., & Vo-Dinh, T. (2011). Design and Fabrication of Fiber-Optic Nanoprobes for Optical Sensing. Nanoscale Research Letters, 6(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11671-010-9744-5
Zhang, Y., A. Dhawan, and T. Vo-Dinh. “Design and Fabrication of Fiber-Optic Nanoprobes for Optical Sensing.” Nanoscale Research Letters 6, no. 1 (January 1, 2011): 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11671-010-9744-5.
Zhang Y, Dhawan A, Vo-Dinh T. Design and Fabrication of Fiber-Optic Nanoprobes for Optical Sensing. Nanoscale Research Letters. 2011 Jan 1;6(1):1–6.
Zhang, Y., et al. “Design and Fabrication of Fiber-Optic Nanoprobes for Optical Sensing.” Nanoscale Research Letters, vol. 6, no. 1, Jan. 2011, pp. 1–6. Scopus, doi:10.1007/s11671-010-9744-5.
Zhang Y, Dhawan A, Vo-Dinh T. Design and Fabrication of Fiber-Optic Nanoprobes for Optical Sensing. Nanoscale Research Letters. 2011 Jan 1;6(1):1–6.
Journal cover image

Published In

Nanoscale Research Letters

DOI

EISSN

1556-276X

ISSN

1931-7573

Publication Date

January 1, 2011

Volume

6

Issue

1

Start / End Page

1 / 6

Related Subject Headings

  • Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
  • 5104 Condensed matter physics
  • 4018 Nanotechnology
  • 4016 Materials engineering
  • 1007 Nanotechnology
  • 0912 Materials Engineering
  • 0204 Condensed Matter Physics