Youngwoong Do

Subsurface nanoimaging by broadband terahertz pulse near-field microscopy.

Combined with terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy, THz near-field microscopy based on an atomic force microscope is a technique that, while challenging to implement, is invaluable for probing low-energy light-matter interactions of solid-state and biomolecular nanostructures, which are usually embedded in background media. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a broadband THz pulse near-field microscope that provides subsurface nanoimaging of a metallic grating embedded in a dielectric film. The THz near-field microscope can obtain broadband nanoimaging of the subsurface grating with a nearly frequency-independent lateral resolution of 90 nm, corresponding to ∼ λ/3300, at 1 THz, while the AFM only provides a flat surface topography.

Terahertz Pulse Imaging of Micro-metastatic Lymph Nodes in Early-stage Cervical Cancer Patients

Lymph node metastasis is an important prognostic factor in cervical cancer patients. We report THz imaging for detecting micro-metastatic foci in the lymph nodes of early-stage uterine cervical cancer patients. Five paraffin-embedded metastatic lymph nodes from two cervical cancer patients were imaged using a THz time-domain spectroscopy system in the reflection mode. The size and shape of the tumor regions were compared with those from histopathologic examinations. The metastatic portions of lymph nodes as small as 3 mm were well delineated by THz imaging. The reflected peak amplitudes were lower in metastatic portions than in the normal portions of lymph nodes, and the difference in their peak-to-peak amplitudes was ~5%.

Terahertz Near-Field Microscope: Analysis and Measurements of Scattering Signals

We present the analysis and measurements of scattering signals of a terahertz pulse scattering-type near-field microscope. We used a self-consistent line dipole image method for the quantitative analysis of the THz near-field interaction. The line scan across a gold film demonstrated that the terahertz microscope has a nanoscale resolution of ~80 nm. The measurements of scattering signals on gold and silicon substrates were in good agreement with calculations.

Quantitative coherent scattering spectra in apertureless terahertz pulse near-field microscopes

We present quantitative coherent measurements of scattering pulses and spectra in terahertz apertureless near-field microscopes. Broadband near-field image contrasts for both amplitude and phase spectra are measured directly from time-domain scattering signals with an unprecedentedly high single-scan signal-to-noise ratio (∼48 dB), with approach curves for both short (<200 nm) and long (up to 82 μm) ranges. By using the line dipole image method, we obtain quantitative broadband THz imaging contrasts with nanoscale resolution.

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy of anisotropic complex conductivity tensors in silicon nanowire films

The effective complex conductivity tensor of a highly anisotropic, vertically aligned silicon nanowire film was measured by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The silicon nanowires were fabricated on a p-type silicon substrate by metal-assisted chemical etching, which resulted in a film with uniaxially anisotropic optical properties. The measured terahertz transverse and longitudinal conductivity values were in excellent agreement with the results of calculations based on the Drude-Smith and Lorentz models, respectively.

Quantitative analysis and measurements of near-field interactions in terahertz microscopes.

We demonstrated quantitative analysis and measurements of near-fields interactions in a terahertz pulse near-field microscope. We developed a self-consistent line dipole image method for the quantitative analysis of the near-field interaction in THz scattering-type scanning optical microscopes. The measurements of approach curves and relative contrasts on gold and silicon substrates were in excellent agreement with calculations.

High-precision THz Dielectric Spectroscopy of Tris-HCl Buffer

Tris-HCl buffer solution is extensively used in biochemistry and molecular biology to maintain a stable pH for biomolecules such as nucleic acids and proteins. Here we report on the high-precision THz dielectric spectroscopy of a 10 mM Tris-HCl buffer. Using a double Debye model, including conductivity of ionic species, we measured the complex dielectric functions of Tris-HCl buffer. The fast relaxation time of water molecules in Tris-HCl buffer is ~20% longer than that in pure water while the slow relaxation time changes little. This means that the reorientation dynamics of Tris-HCl buffer with such a low Tris concentration is quite different from that of pure water.

Teraherz Pulse Near-Field Microscopes

We review the recent progress in the terahertz (THz) apertureless near-field microscopes. We demonstrate quantitative analysis and measurements of the THz near-fields interactions in the probe-sample system. We also present a self-consistent line dipole image method for the quantitative analysis of the near-field interaction. The measurements of approach curves and relative contrasts on gold and silicon substrates were in excellent agreement with calculations based on the self-consistent line dipole image method.

Real-time THz comb time-domain spectroscopy

A real-time THz comb time-domain spectroscopy was demonstrated to have a maximum time delay and resolution of 10 ns and 100 MHz, respectively. We also demonstrated real-time THz measurements in both time and frequency domains.