Super-resolution imaging by arrays of high-index spheres embedded in transparent matrices

Author

Allen, Kenneth W. ; Farahi, Navid ; Yangcheng Li ; Limberopoulos, Nicholaos I. ; Walker, Dennis E. ; Urbas, Augustine M. ; Astratov, Vasily N.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Phys. & Opt. Sci., Univ. of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

fYear

2014

Firstpage

50

Lastpage

52

Abstract

We fabricated thin-films made from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with embedded high-index (n~1.9-2.2) microspheres for super-resolution imaging applications. To control the position of microspheres, such films can be translated along the surface of the nanoplasmonic structure to be imaged. Microsphere-assisted imaging, through these matrices, provided lateral resolution of ~λ/7 in nanoplasmonic dimer arrays with an illuminating wavelength λ=405 nm. Such thin films can be used as contact optical components to boost the resolution capability of conventional microscopes.

Keywords

image processing; nanophotonics; optical arrays; polymer films; embedded high-index microspheres; lateral resolution; microsphere-assisted imaging; nanoplasmonic dimer arrays; nanoplasmonic structure; polydimethylsiloxane; super-resolution imaging; transparent matrices; wavelength 405 nm; Image resolution; Microscopy; Nanobioscience; Optical films; Optical imaging; Photonics; imaging; microscopy; microsphere; photonic nanojet; super-resolution;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Aerospace and Electronics Conference, NAECON 2014 - IEEE National

Print_ISBN

978-1-4799-4690-7

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/NAECON.2014.7045775

Filename

7045775