We demonstrate a series of advantages of microsphere-assisted imaging over confocal and solid immersion lens microscopies including intrinsic flexibility, better resolution, higher magnification, and longer working distances. We discerned minimal feature sizes of ∼50-60 nm in nanoplasmonic arrays at the illumination wavelength λ = 405 nm. It is demonstrated that liquid-immersed, high-index (n ∼ 1.9-2.1) spheres provide a superior image quality compared to that obtained by spheres with the same index contrast in an air environment. We estimate that using transparent microspheres at deep UV wavelengths of ∼200 nm might make possible imaging of various nanostructures with extraordinary high ∼30 nm resolution.
REFERENCES
1.
B.
Hecht
, B.
Sick
, U. P.
Wild
, V.
Deckert
, R.
Zenobi
, O. J. F.
Martin
, and D. W.
Pohl
, J. Chem. Phys.
112
, 7761
(2000
).2.
E. T. F.
Rogers
, J.
Lindberg
, T.
Roy
, S.
Savo
, J. E.
Chad
, M. R.
Dennis
, and N. I.
Zheludev
, Nat. Mater.
11
, 432
(2012
).3.
T. J.
Gould
, S. T.
Hess
, and J.
Bewersdorf
, Annu. Rev. Biomed. Eng.
14
, 231
(2012
).4.
P.
Wang
, M. N.
Slipchenko
, J.
Mitchell
, C.
Yang
, E. O.
Potma
, X.
Xu
, and J.-X.
Cheng
, Nat. Photonics
7
, 449
(2013
).5.
J. B.
Pendry
, Phys. Rev. Lett.
85
, 3966
(2000
).6.
I. I.
Smolyaninov
, Y.-J.
Hung
, and C. C.
Davis
, Science
315
, 1699
(2007
).7.
T.
Wilson
and A. R.
Carlini
, J. Microsc.
149
, 51
(1988
).8.
S. M.
Mansfield
and G. S.
Kino
, Appl. Phys. Lett.
57
, 2615
(1990
);B. D.
Terris
, H. J.
Mamin
, D.
Rugar
, W. R.
Studenmund
, and G. S.
Kino
, Appl. Phys. Lett.
65
, 388
(1994
);Y.
Gambin
, O.
Legrand
, and S. R.
Quake
, Appl. Phys. Lett.
88
, 174102
(2006
).9.
E.
Abbe
, Arch. Mikrosk. Anat.
9
, 413
(1873
).10.
J. W.
Strutt
(Lord Rayleigh), Philos. Mag.
8
, 261
(1879
).11.
C. M.
Sparrow
, Astrophys. J.
44
, 76
(1916
).12.
W. V.
Houston
, Phys. Rev.
29
, 478
(1927
).13.
J. Y.
Lee
, B. H.
Hong
, W. Y.
Kim
, S. K.
Min
, Y.
Kim
, M. V.
Jouravlev
, R.
Bose
, K. S.
Kim
, I.-C.
Hwang
, L. J.
Kaufman
, C. W.
Wong
, P.
Kim
, and K. S.
Kim
, Nature
460
, 498
(2009
);M. S.
Kim
, T.
Scharf
, M. T.
Haq
, W.
Nakagawa
, and H. P.
Herzig
, Opt. Lett.
36
, 3930
(2011
).
[PubMed]
14.
Z.
Wang
, W.
Guo
, L.
Li
, B.
Luk'yanchuk
, A.
Khan
, Z.
Liu
, Z.
Chen
, and M.
Hong
, Nat. Commun.
2
, 218
(2011
).15.
X.
Hao
, C.
Kuang
, X.
Liu
, H.
Zhang
, and Y.
Li
, Appl. Phys. Lett.
99
, 203102
(2011
).16.
V. N.
Astratov
and A.
Darafsheh
, “Methods and systems for super-resolution optical imaging using high-index of refraction microspheres and microcylinders
,” U.S. patent application 14/042,834 (7 June 2012
).17.
A.
Darafsheh
, M. A.
Fiddy
, and V. N.
Astratov
, in IEEE Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks–ICTON'12, Coventry, England, 2–5 July 2012
(IEEE
, 2012
), Paper No. Tu.A6.5.18.
A.
Darafsheh
, G. F.
Walsh
, L.
Dal Negro
, and V. N.
Astratov
, Appl. Phys. Lett.
101
, 141128
(2012
).19.
A.
Darafsheh
, “Optical super-resolution and periodical focusing effects by dielectric miscrospheres
,” Ph.D. dissertation (University of North Carolina at Charlotte
, 2013
).20.
L.
Li
, W.
Guo
, Y
, Yan
, S.
Lee
, and T.
Wang
, Light: Sci. Appl.
2
, e104
(2013
).21.
H.
Yang
, N.
Moullan
, J.
Auwerx
, and M. A. M.
Gijs
, “Super-resolution biological microscopy using virtual imaging by a microsphere nanoscope
,” Small
(published online).22.
H.
Guo
, Y.
Han
, X.
Weng
, Y.
Zhao
, G.
Sui
, Y.
Wang
, and S.
Zhuang
, Opt. Express
21
, 2434
(2013
).23.
24.
P.
Ferrand
, J.
Wenger
, A.
Devilez
, M.
Pianta
, B.
Stout
, N.
Bonod
, E.
Popov
, and H.
Rigneault
, Opt. Express
16
, 6930
(2008
).25.
C. J. R.
Sheppard
and P.
Török
, J. Opt. Soc. Am. A
20
, 2156
(2003
);Y.
Li
, J. Opt. Soc. Am. A
22
, 68
(2005
);26.
A.
Darafsheh
, N. I.
Limberopoulos
, J. S.
Derov
, D. E.
Walker
, Jr., M.
Durska
, D. N.
Krizhanovskii
, D. M.
Whittaker
, and V. N.
Astratov
, Proc. SPIE
8594
, 85940C
(2013
).27.
A.
Heifetz
, J. J.
Simpson
, S.-C.
Kong
, A.
Taflove
, and V.
Backman
, Opt. Express
15
, 17334
(2007
).28.
Y. E.
Geints
, A. A.
Zemlyanov
, and E. K.
Panina
, Opt. Soc. Am. B
29
, 758
(2012
).29.
A.
Devilez
, B.
Stout
, N.
Bonod
, and E.
Popov
, Opt. Express
16
, 14200
(2008
).30.
X.
Hao
, X.
Liu
, C.
Kuang
, Y.
Li
, Y.
Ku
, H.
Zhang
, H.
Li
, and L.
Tong
, Appl. Phys. Lett.
102
, 013104
(2013
).31.
C. J.
Regan
, R.
Rodriguez
, S.
Gourshetty
, L.
Grave de Peralta
, and A. A.
Bernussi
, Opt. Express
20
, 20827
(2012
).32.
C. J.
Regan
, D.
Dominguez
, L.
Grave de Peralta
, and A. A.
Bernussi
, J. Appl. Phys.
113
, 183105
(2013
).33.
Y.
Duan
, G.
Barbastathis
, and B.
Zhang
, Opt. Lett.
38
, 2988
(2013
).© 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.
2014
AIP Publishing LLC
You do not currently have access to this content.
