Near-field optical apertured tip and modified structures for local field enhancement

We present experimental measurements and simulation of the spatial distribution of near-field light at the aperture of a Si micromachined near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) probe. A miniature aperture at the apex of a SiO(2) tip on a Si cantilever was fabricated with the low temperature oxidation and selective etching technique. An optical transmission efficiency (optical throughput) of the fabricated probe was determined to be approximately 10(-2) when the aperture size was approximately 100 nm, which is several orders of magnitude higher than that for conventional optical fibers. A three-dimensional finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation shows that the near-field light is well confined within the aperture area with a throughput of 1% for a 100-nm aperture, which is in good agreement with the measurement. The spatial distribution of the near-field light at an aperture of 300-nm diameter shows a full width at half-maximum of 250 nm with a sharp peak that is nearly 60 nm wide. The 2.4% throughput for a 300-nm aperture was estimated based on the measured spatial distribution of the near-field light that is almost the same as the experimental result. We also present the initial results of the fabrication of high throughput coaxial and surface plasmon enhancement NSOM probes.     

EIS field effect structures functionalized by p-tert-butylcalix[6]arene for Ni2+ detection

In this work, we present the modification of above structures with a thin layer of p-tert-butyl-calix[6]arene deposited by spin-coating process. Capacitance and impedance measurements show that this sensitive thin films can be used to nickel detection. It is shown that developed chemical sensors with silicon nitride insulating substrate exhibit good stability due to the excellent adhesion of the film, high sensitivity and good selectivity. These interesting performances could not be achieved in the case of spin-coated p-tert-butyl-calix[6]arene thin layer on Si/SiO₂ heterostructure treated in the same conditions. The results were simulated by an extended site binding model which carry out that the sensitivity of the sensor is due to electrochemical phenomena between the functionalized surface and the ions of the electrolyte. To analyze electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results and determine fundamental physical processes which govern the response of the system, an electrical equivalent circuit is proposed.     

Functionalizing metal nanostructured film with graphene oxide for ultrasensitive detection of aromatic molecules by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) as a powerful analytical tool has gained extensive attention. Despite of many efforts in the design of SERS substrates, it remains a grand challenge for creating a general substrate that can detect diverse target analytes. Herein, we report our attempt to address this issue by constructing a novel metal-graphene oxide nanostructured film as SERS substrate. Taking advantages of the high affinity of graphene oxide (GO) toward aromatic molecules and the SERS property of nanostructured metal, this structure exhibits great potential for diverse aromatic molecules sensing, which is demonstrated by using crystal violet (CV) with positive charge, amaranth with negative charge, and neutral phosphorus triphenyl (PPh(3)) as model molecules.     

Development of a microcalorimeter with transition edge sensor for detection of LX rays emitted by transuranium elements

A transition edge sensor (TES) microcalorimeter has been developed for use as an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The TES microcalorimeter is a thermal detector that enables one to determine the energy of an incident photon by measuring the resultant increase in temperature. In this work, a Ti/Au TES microcalorimeter was developed to measure LX rays emitted by transuranium elements. The phase transition temperature was set at ~200 mK by using a bilayer structure composed of a 110-nm-thick Au layer and a 40-nm-thick Ti layer. An Au of 5 μm thickness was deposited on the Ti/Au bilayer to achieve an absorption efficiency of 35-80 % for the energy range of LX rays (10-25 keV). The developed TES microcalorimeter was irradiated with LX rays emitted by an (241)Am source at an operating temperature of 140 mK. An energy resolution of ~80 eV (full width at the half maximum) was obtained for L(β1)X ray of 17.75 keV.     

Possible explanation for trapped field enhancement on REBaCuO bulk by modified multi-pulse technique with stepwise cooling (MMPSC)

The time evolutions of the local fields B_L(t) have been measured on the surface of the superconducting bulk disk magnetized by a two-stage pulse-field magnetizing technique, called a modified multi-pulse technique combined with stepwise cooling (MMPSC), and the magnetic flux movement and the flux trapping have been investigated. The optimum concaved (“M-shaped”) trapped field profile, which is a necessary condition at the first stage to enhance the final trapped field B_T, makes a larger magnetic gradient (dB/dx) at the bulk periphery in the ascending stage of the applied magnetic pulse at the second stage due to the large viscous force F_v. The magnetic fluxes, which stay at the bulk periphery, start to flow to the center of the bulk, after the applied pulse field reaches a maximum, at which the flux velocity v is nearly zero and then F_v decrease. As a result, a large number of the magnetic fluxes are trapped at the bulk center. The effect of the “M-shaped” profile at the first stage in MMPSC on the enhancement of B_T is discussed.