Kuang-Li Lee

Enhancing Surface Plasmon Detection Using Template-Stripped Gold Nanoslit Arrays on Plastic Films

Nanostructure-based sensors are capable of sensitive and label-free detection for biomedical applications. However, high-throughput and low-cost fabrication techniques are the main issues which should be addressed. In this study, chip-based nanostructures for intensity-sensitive detection were fabricated and tested using a thermal-annealing-assisted template-stripping method. Large-area uniform nanoslit arrays with a 500 nm period and various slit widths, from 30 to 165 nm, were made on plastic films. A transverse magnetic-polarized wave in these gold nanostructures generated sharp and asymmetric Fano resonances in transmission spectra. The full width at half-maximum bandwidth decreased with the decrease of the slit width. The narrowest bandwidth was smaller than 10 nm. Compared to nanoslit arrays on glass substrates using electron-beam lithography, the proposed chip has a higher intensity sensitivity up to 10367%/RIU (refractive index unit) and reaches a figure of merit up to 55. The higher intensity sensitivity for the template-stripped nanostructure is attributed to a smoother gold surface and larger grain sizes on the plastic film, which reduces the surface plasmon propagation loss.

Sensitive biosensor array using surface plasmon resonance on metallic nanoslits.

Chip-based biosensor arrays for label-free and high-throughput detection were fabricated and tested. The sensor array was composed of a 150-nm-thick, 50-nm-gap, and 600-nm-period gold nanoslits. Each array size was 100 mumx100 mum. A transverse-magnetic polarized wave in these metallic nanostructures generated resonant surface plasmons at a wavelength of about 800 nm in a water environment. Using the resonant wavelength shift in the nanoslit array, we achieved detection sensitivity up to 668 nm per refractive index unit, about 1.7 times larger than that reported on an array of nanoholes. An antigen-antibody interaction experiment in an aqueous environment verified the sensitivity in a surface binding event.

Ultrasensitive Biosensors Using Enhanced Fano Resonances in Capped Gold Nanoslit Arrays

Nanostructure-based sensors are capable of sensitive and label-free detection for biomedical applications. However, plasmonic sensors capable of highly sensitive detection with high-throughput and low-cost fabrication techniques are desirable. We show that capped gold nanoslit arrays made by thermal-embossing nanoimprint method on a polymer film can produce extremely sharp asymmetric resonances for a transverse magnetic-polarized wave. An ultrasmall linewidth is formed due to the enhanced Fano coupling between the cavity resonance mode in nanoslits and surface plasmon resonance mode on periodic metallic surface. With an optimal slit length and width, the full width at half-maximum bandwidth of the Fano mode is only 3.68 nm. The wavelength sensitivity is 926 nm/RIU for 60-nm-width and 1,000-nm-period nanoslits. The figure of merit is up to 252. The obtained value is higher than the theoretically estimated upper limits of the prism-coupling SPR sensors and the previously reported record high figure-of-merit in array sensors. In addition, the structure has an ultrahigh intensity sensitivity up to 48,117%/RIU.

Intensity sensitivity of gold nanostructures and its application for high-throughput biosensing

A new microarray for dynamical studies of surface biomolecular interactions without fluorescent labeling is proposed. We employed gold nanostructures to excite surface plasmons on the microarray surface and detected the intensity changes in the extraordinary transmission. The calculation and measurement results indicate that the nanoslit array has an intensity sensitivity much higher than the nanohole array due to its narrower resonant bandwidth. In addition, the sensitivity is increased as the slit width decreases. For 35 nm slit width, the intensity sensitivity reaches to approximately 4000%/RIU, two times larger than the slit width larger than 150 nm. Using the intensity changes, we demonstrate a 10 x 10 microarray for real-time measurements of antigen-antibody and DNA-DNA interactions.

Extraction enhancement in organic light emitting devices by using metallic nanowire arrays

The extraction efficiency of organic light emitting devices is enhanced by depositing metallic nanowires on the glass surface and indium tin oxide (ITO) anode. For the aluminum tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) (Alq3) based devices, a 100nm-width and 450nm-period gold nanowire array increases light extraction up to 46% from glass substrate and 80% from the organic layer. Such metallic nanowire arrays double the brightness with small absorption, only 10% lower than ITO glass. In addition, colors of the devices can be selected by the period of nanowire array. We demonstrated blue to red light emission by using single Alq3-based device.

Giant birefringence induced by plasmonic nanoslit arrays

Large phase differences between transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) waves were investigated in plasmonic nanoslit arrays. The phase of the TE wave shifts ahead because of its low propagation constant. On the other hand, the phase of the TM wave is retarded due to the propagation of surface plasmons. The opposite phase shift forms a giant birefringence. Its magnitude was dependent on the width of nanoslits. The birefringence magnitude was ∼1 for 300-nm-wide nanoslits and up to ∼2.7 for 100 nm ones. The spectroscopic measurements indicate that waveplates made of gold nanoslits have large bandwidths.

Enhancing surface plasmon detection using ultrasmall nanoslits and a multispectral integration method.

A multispectral integration method to increase the detection limit of gold nanostructures is presented. This method considers all the resonances due to localized surface plasmons, Bloch wave surface plasmons, and Woods anomalies. By integrating the wavelength shifts together with intensity changes over these resonances, the detection resolution is increased to about six times larger than that of commonly used wavelength or intensity methods. Further studies with different nanostructures show the detection sensitivity is increased with the decrease of aperture size. The detection limit for 40-nm nanoslits is improved by about seven times relative to that for 300-nm nanoslits. For sub-100-nm apertures, the detection resolution for nanoslits is better than that for nanoholes due to its non-cutoff transmission. The advantage of using the multispectral integration method in biosensing is verified by antigen-antibody interaction experiments.

Optofluidic platform for real-time monitoring of live cell secretory activities using Fano resonance in gold nanoslits.

An optofluidic platform for real-time monitoring of live cell secretory activities is constructed via Fano resonance in a gold nanoslit array. Large-area and highly sensitive gold nanoslits with a period of 500 nm are fabricated on polycarbonate films using the thermal-annealed template-stripping method. The coupling between gap plasmon resonance in the slits and surface plasmon polariton Bloch waves forms a sharp Fano resonance with intensity sensitivity greater than 11 000% per refractive index unit. The nanoslit array is integrated with a cell-trapping microfluidic device to monitor dynamic secretion of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) from human acute monocytic leukemia cells in situ. Upon continuous lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, MMP-9 secretion is detected within 2 h due to ultrahigh surface sensitivity and close proximity of the sensor to the target cells. In addition to the advantage of detecting early cell responses, the sensor also allows interrogation of cell secretion dynamics. Furthermore, the average secretion per cell measured using our system well matches previous reports while it requires orders of magnitude less cells. The optofluidic platform may find applications in fundamental studies of cell functions and diagnostics based on secretion signals.

Sensitive biosensors using Fano resonance in single gold nanoslit with periodic grooves

Chip-based biosensors for sensitive label-free detection were fabricated and tested by using Fano-type resonant nanostructures. The sensor was composed of a 190 nm-thick gold nanoslit surrounded by 600-nm-period grooves. Transverse-magnetic polarized wave in these gold nanostructures generated asymmetrical resonant spectra due to the interference of broad-band cavity resonance in the single slit and narrow-band surface plasmon resonance on the periodic grooves. Compared to nanoslit arrays, such Fano-type sensor has a sharper resonance which yields a figure of merit up to 48. In addition, the crossed talk between sensing elements is reduced due to the Bragg reflection of the periodic grooves. A smaller detection separation down to 10 μm width was achieved. An antigen-antibody interaction experiment in aqueous environment verified the detection sensitivity in surface binding event.

Sensitive label-free biosensors by using gap plasmons in gold nanoslits

The detection sensitivities of gap plasmons in gold nanoslit arrays are studied and compared with surface plasmons on outside surface. The nanoslit arrays were fabricated in a 130 nm-thick gold film with various slit widths. For transverse-magnetic (TM) incident wave, the 600 nm-period nanoslit array shows two distinguishable transmission peaks corresponding to the resonances of gap plasmons and surface plasmons, respectively. The surface sensitivities for both modes were compared by coating thin SiO(2) film and different biomolecules on the nanoslit arrays. Our experimental results verify gap plasmons are more sensitive than conventional surface plasmons. Its detection sensitivity increases with the decrease of slit width. The gap plasmon is one order of magnitude sensitive than the surface plasmon for slit widths smaller than 30 nm. We attribute this high sensitivity to the large overlap between biomolecules and nanometer-sized gap plasmons.