Ying Min Wang

Plasmonic Color Palettes for Photorealistic Printing with Aluminum Nanostructures

We introduce the first plasmonic palette utilizing color generation strategies for photorealistic printing with aluminum nanostructures. Our work expands the visible color space through spatially mixing and adjusting the nanoscale spacing of discrete nanostructures. With aluminum as the plasmonic material, we achieved enhanced durability and dramatically reduced materials costs with our nanostructures compared to commonly used plasmonic materials such as gold and silver, as well as size regimes scalable to higher-throughput approaches such as photolithography and nanoimprint lithography. These advances could pave the way toward a new generation of low-cost, high-resolution, plasmonic color printing with direct applications in security tagging, cryptography, and information storage.

Deep-tissue focal fluorescence imaging with digitally time-reversed ultrasound-encoded light

Fluorescence imaging is one of the most important research tools in biomedical sciences. However, scattering of light severely impedes imaging of thick biological samples beyond the ballistic regime. Here we directly show focusing and high-resolution fluorescence imaging deep inside biological tissues by digitally time-reversing ultrasound-tagged light with high optical gain (~5×105). We confirm the presence of a time-reversed optical focus along with a diffuse background—a corollary of partial phase conjugation—and develop an approach for dynamic background cancellation. To illustrate the potential of our method, we image complex fluorescent objects and tumour microtissues at an unprecedented depth of 2.5 mm in biological tissues at a lateral resolution of 36 μm×52 μm and an axial resolution of 657 μm. Our results set the stage for a range of deep-tissue imaging applications in biomedical research and medical diagnostics.

Speckle-scale focusing in the diffusive regime with time reversal of variance-encoded light (TROVE)

Focusing of light in the diffusive regime inside scattering media has long been considered impossible. Recently, this limitation has been overcome with time reversal of ultrasound-encoded light (TRUE), but the resolution of this approach is fundamentally limited by the large number of optical modes within the ultrasound focus. Here, we introduce a new approach, time reversal of variance-encoded light (TROVE), which demixes these spatial modes by variance-encoding to break the resolution barrier imposed by the ultrasound. By encoding individual spatial modes inside the scattering sample with unique variances, we effectively uncouple the system resolution from the size of the ultrasound focus. This enables us to demonstrate optical focusing and imaging with diffuse light at unprecedented, speckle-scale lateral resolution of ~ 5 μm.

Wide field-of-view microscope based on holographic focus grid illumination

We have developed a new microscopy design that can achieve wide field-of-view (FOV) imaging and yet possesses resolution that is comparable to a conventional microscope. In our design, the sample is illuminated by a holographically projected light-spot grid. We acquire images by translating the sample across the grid and detecting the transmissions. We have built a prototype system with an FOV of 6 mm x 5 mm and acquisition time of 2.5 s. The resolution is fundamentally limited by the spot size--our demonstrated average FWHM spot diameter was 0.74 microm. We demonstrate the prototype by imaging a U.S. Air Force target and a lily anther. This technology is scalable and represents a cost-effective way to implement wide FOV microscopy systems.

Three-dimensional imaging of whole rodent organs using optical computed and emission tomography

We explore the potential of optical computed tomography (optical-CT) and optical emission computed tomography (optical-ECT) in a new area-whole organ imaging. The techniques are implemented on an in-house prototype benchtop system with improved image quality and the capacity to image larger samples (up to 3 cm) than previous systems based on stereo microscopes. Imaging performance tests confirm high geometrical accuracy, accurate relative measurement of linear attenuation coefficients, and the ability to image features at the 50-microm level. Optical labeling of organ microvasculature was achieved using two stains deposited via natural in vivo circulatory processes: a passive absorbing ink-based stain and an active fluorescin FITC-lectin conjugate. The lectin protein binds to the endothelial lining, and FITC fluorescense enables optical-ECT imaging. Three-dimensional (3-D) optical-CT images have been acquired of a normal rat heart and left lung and a mouse right lung showing exquisite detail of the functional vasculature and relative perfusion distribution. Coregistered optical-ECT images were also acquired of the mouse lung and kidney. Histological sections confirmed effective labeling of microvasculature throughout the organs. The advantages of optical-CT and optical-ECT include the potential for a unique combination of high resolution and high contrast and compatibility with a wide variety of optical probes, including gene expression labeling fluorescent reporter proteins.

Three-dimensional imaging of xenograft tumors using optical computed and emission tomography

The physical basis and preliminary applications of optical computed tomography (optical-CT) and optical emission computed tomography (optical-ECT) are introduced, as new techniques with potential to provide unique 3D information on a variety of aspects of tumor structure and function. A particular focus here is imaging tumor micro-vasculature, and the spatial distribution of viable tumor cells, although the techniques have the potential for much wider application. The principle attractiveness of optical-CT and optical-ECT are that high resolution (<20 microm) and high contrast co-registered 3D images of structure and function can be acquired for relatively large intact samples. The unique combination of high contrast and resolution offers advantages over micro-CT and micro-MRI, and the lack of requirement for sectioning offers advantages over confocal microscopy, conventional microscopy, and histological sectioning techniques. Optical-CT/ECT are implemented using in-house custom apparatus and a commercial dissecting microscope capable of both transmission and fluorescence imaging. Basic studies to characterize imaging performance are presented. Negligible geometrical distortion and accurate reconstruction of relative attenuation coefficients was observed. Optical-CT and optical-ECT are investigated here by application to high resolution imaging of HCT116 xenograft tumors, about 1 cc in dimension, which were transfected with constitutive red fluorescent protein (RFP). Tumor microvasculature was stained in vivo by tail vein injection of either passive absorbing dyes or active fluorescent markers (FITC conjugated lectin). Prior to imaging, the tumors were removed (ex vivo) and optically cleared in a key process to make the samples amenable to light transmission. The cleared tumors were imaged in three modes (i) optical-CT to image the 3D distribution of microvasculature as indicated by absorbing dye, (ii) optical-ECT using the FITC excitation and emission filter set, to determine microvasculature as indicated by lectin-endothelial binding, and (iii) optical-ECT using the DSRed2 filter set to determine the 3D distribution of viable tumor as indicated by RFP emission. A clear correlation was observed between the independent vasculature imaging modes (i) and (ii) and postimaging histological sections, providing substantial validation of the optical-CT and optical-ECT techniques. Strong correlation was also observed between the RFP imaging of mode iii, and modes i and ii, supporting the intuitive conclusion that well-perfused regions contain significant viable tumor. In summary, optical-CT and optical-ECT, when combined with new optical clearing techniques, represent powerful new imaging modalities with potential for providing unique information on the structure and function of tumors.

Characterization of acceptance angles of small circular apertures.

We characterize the acceptance angles of small circular apertures for light collection by simulations and experimental measurements. By examining the full width half maximum acceptance angle as a function of the aperture size, we show that the acceptance angle of a circular aperture reaches a minimum of 67 deg before rebounding around the transition between single mode and multimode transmission (approximately 400 nm). This behavior can be explained by the change of mode-coupling efficiency during the transition from single mode to multimode propagation regime. This work in understanding of the behavior of light transmission through subwavelength apertures will guide the design of better aperture based imaging devices where apertures are used as light collection units.

High aspect ratio 10-nm-scale nanoaperture arrays with template-guided metal dewetting

We introduce an approach to fabricate ordered arrays of 10-nm-scale silica-filled apertures in a metal film without etching or liftoff. Using low temperature (<400°C) thermal dewetting of metal films guided by nano-patterned templates, apertures with aspect ratios up to 5:1 are demonstrated. Apertures form spontaneously during the thermal process without need for further processing. Although the phenomenon of dewetting has been well studied, this is the first demonstration of its use in the fabrication of nanoapertures in a spatially controllable manner. In particular, the achievement of 10-nm length-scale patterning at high aspect ratio with thermal dewetting is unprecedented. By varying the nanotemplate design, we show its strong influence over the positions and sizes of the nanoapertures. In addition, we construct a three-dimensional phase field model of metal dewetting on nano-patterned substrates. The simulation data obtained closely corroborates our experimental results and reveals new insights to template dewetting at the nanoscale. Taken together, this fabrication method and simulation model form a complete toolbox for 10-nm-scale patterning using template-guided dewetting that could be extended to a wide range of material systems and geometries.

Pixel level optical-transfer-function design based on the surface-wave-interferometry aperture

The design of optical transfer function (OTF) is of significant importance for optical information processing in various imaging and vision systems. Typically, OTF design relies on sophisticated bulk optical arrangement in the light path of the optical systems. In this letter, we demonstrate a surface-wave-interferometry aperture (SWIA) that can be directly incorporated onto optical sensors to accomplish OTF design on the pixel level. The whole aperture design is based on the bull’s eye structure. It composes of a central hole (diameter of 300 nm) and periodic groove (period of 560 nm) on a 340 nm thick gold layer. We show, with both simulation and experiment, that different types of optical transfer functions (notch, highpass and lowpass filter) can be achieved by manipulating the interference between the direct transmission of the central hole and the surface wave (SW) component induced from the periodic groove. Pixel level OTF design provides a low-cost, ultra robust, highly compact method for numerous applications such as optofluidic microscopy, wavefront detection, darkfield imaging, and computational photography.

ENGINEERING PLASMONIC COLORS IN METAL NANOSTRUCTURES

Plasmonic nanostructures hold immense potential for structure-based color engineering at the subwavelength length scale. In this paper, we will review representative works that demonstrate promising strategies to exploit the rich mechanisms of surface plasmons for color engineering across the visible spectrum. By varying the structural design and material composition of plasmonic nanostructures through chemical synthesis or lithography, these approaches can achieve highly controllable and tunable colors for a wide variety of applications. We will also critically discuss the applications of these state-of-the-art technologies in color filtering, color printing and color-based chemical and biological sensing.