Plasmonic zero mode waveguide for highly confined and enhanced fluorescence emission. Issue 36 (10th September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ponzellini, Paolo; Zambrana-Puyalto, Xavier; Maccaferri, Nicolò; Lanzanò, Luca; De Angelis, Francesco; Garoli, Denis
• Is Part Of: Nanoscale. Volume 10:Issue 36(2018)
• Page Start: 17362
• Page End: 17369
• Publication Date: 2018-09-10
• Subjects: Nanoscience -- Periodicals; Nanotechnology -- Periodicals; 620.505
• DOI: 10.1039/c8nr04103b
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2040-3364

Abstract

Abstract : Experimental verification of a plasmonic zero mode waveguide able to enhance fluorescence from a single molecule in a confined volume. Abstract : We fabricate a plasmonic nanoslot that is capable of performing enhanced single molecule detection at 10 μM concentrations. The nanoslot combines the tiny detection volume of a zero-mode waveguide and the field enhancement of a plasmonic nanohole. The nanoslot is fabricated on a bi-metallic film formed by the sequential deposition of gold and aluminum on a transparent substrate. Simulations of the structure yield an average near-field intensity enhancement of two orders of magnitude at its resonant frequency. Experimentally, we measure the fluorescence stemming from the nanoslot and compare it with that of a standard aluminum zero-mode waveguide. We also compare the detection volume for both structures. We observe that while both structures have a similar detection volume, the nanoslot yields a 25-fold fluorescence enhancement.