Complementary Microscopy Platform for Investigations of Hybrid Nanostructures Comprising Quantum Dots and Plasmonic Part
- PDF / 1,461,807 Bytes
- 6 Pages / 612 x 792 pts (letter) Page_size
- 8 Downloads / 178 Views
Complementary Microscopy Platform for Investigations of Hybrid Nanostructures Comprising Quantum Dots and Plasmonic Particles Katja Dopf1, Patrick M. Schwab1,2, Carola Moosmann1, Anne Habermehl1, Uli Lemmer1,2, and Hans-Juergen Eisler1 1
Light Technology Institute, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
2
Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe,
Germany
ABSTRACT Nanoscale systems combining colloidal quantum dots with plasmonic antennas will pioneer the development of novel nanodevices with tailored optical features for a wide range of applications. The interactions between such nanoparticles strongly depend on the particular distance. We propose the use of an atomic force microscope (AFM) to image and to position quantum dots with respect to plasmonic particles. Additionally, we analyze the arrangements with several optical characterization methods, such as confocal microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and superresolution optical fluctuation imaging (SOFI). These methods support each other and improve the AFM manipulation technique. The AFM tip is perfectly aligned to a focused laser by detecting the Raman signal of the silicon tip. Thus ultimately, we can simultaneously use the topography information with a spatial resolution in the range of the nanoparticle sizes and cross-correlate it with the optical characterization methods.
INTRODUCTION In quantum physics control over the interaction between single emitters and plasmonic structures is a challenging but essential task. In the recent years many investigations have been performed to study the hybrid response of quantum dots (Qdots) coupled to plasmonic nanostructures both in the weak and in the strong coupling regime. The research topics range from a single Qdot coupled to an optical Yagi-Uda antenna to theoretical examinations [1-6]. As standard practice for the fabrication the Qdots are positioned by applying a two-step electron beam lithography (EBL) process and chemical functionalization. Just recently the combination of the superresolution techniques STORM with AFM [7] and STED with AFM [8, 9] were presented. We propose a similar complementary microscopy setup for research on hybrid nanostructures. The setup combines wide field fluorescence microscopy, superresolution optical imaging (SOFI), atomic force microscopy (AFM), confocal microscopy and spectroscopy and time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC). We discuss how AFM can be used as a manipulation tool to arrange specific hybrid nanostructures comprising single Qdots and plasmonic particles at wish. Furthermore, we focus on how the different characterization techniques support each other for an easier assembly method and for investigations of hybrid structures. The proceedings are organized as follows. In the first section we shortly describe how we prepared the test samples and a thorough description of our microscopy equipment is given. In the discussion section we present the use of an AFM tip to move single Qdots to specific posit
Data Loading...
