Position-resolved Surface Characterization and Nanofabrication Using an Optical Microscope Combined with a Nanopipette/Quartz Tuning Fork Atomic Force Microscope

In this work, we introduce position-resolved surface characterization and nanofabrication using an optical microscope(OM) combined with a nanopipette-based quartz tuning fork atomic force microscope(nanopipette/QTF-AFM) system. This system is used to accurately determine substrate position and nanoscale phenomena under ambient conditions. Solutions consisting of 5 nm Au nanoparticles, nanowires, and polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) are deposited onto the substrate through the nano/microaperture of a pulled pipette. Nano/microscale patterning is performed using a nanopipette/QTF-AFM, while position is resolved by monitoring the substrate with a custom OM. With this tool, one can perform surface characterization(force spectroscopy/microscopy) using the quartz tuning fork(QTF) sensor. Nanofabrication is achieved by accurately positioning target materials on the surface, and on-demand delivery and patterning of various solutions for molecular architecture.

Comparative Alpha Tracks Counting Using an Optical Microscope and a Spark Counter

In the metrology of radon, an environmental lung carcinogen, the integrated measurements necessary for epidemiological studies are made very often using the tracks detector LR 115 type 2. For dosimetric analysis, the etched tracks from radon alpha particles on this detector are usually counted by means of an optical microscope or a spark counter. An optimal reading of the track densities which must be converted into radon concentrations, can’t be done without a good mastery of the mode of operation and use of these devices. Furthermore, investigations to know as to whether or not each of those can be used to determine radon concentration are necessary. These are the objectives of the present work in which LR 115 samples exposed to radon for at least 3 months, were chemically developed under standard conditions and read. The track densities obtained with the microscope are very much higher than those of the counter for each sample. These results are consistent with those published by other authors. However, each of these devices can be used interchangeably for alpha tracks counting, as both provide radon concentrations with a very good linear correlation coefficient of 0.95 taking into account their respective calibration factors for the reading of this detector. In addition, the saturation phenomenon for the spark counter reading of LR 115 detector occurs beyond 11,000 tr/cm2, a density never reached during our environmental radon measurements.

A novel phase-sensitive scanning near-field optical microscope

Phase is one of the most important parameters of electromagnetic waves. It is the phase distribution that determines the propagation, reflection, refraction, focusing, divergence, and coupling features of light, and further affects the intensity distribution. In recent years, the designs of surface plasmon polariton （SPP） devices have mostly been based on the phase modulation and manipulation. Here we demonstrate a phase sensitive multi-parameter heterodyne scanning near-field opti- cal microscope （SNOM） with an aperture probe in the visible range, with which the near field optical phase and amplitude distributions can be simultaneously obtained. A novel architecture combining a spatial optical path and a fiber optical path is employed for stability and flexibility. Two kinds of typical nano-photonic devices are tested with the system. With the phase-sensitive SNOM, the phase and amplitude distributions of any nano-optical field and localized field generated with any SPP nano-structures and irregular phase modulation surfaces can be investigated. The phase distribution and the interference pattern will help us to gain a better understanding of how light interacts with SPP structures and how SPP waves generate, localize, convert, and propagate on an SPP surface. This will be a significant guidance on SPP nano-structure design and optimization.

Experimental research on dual polarized laser optical feedback microscope

The principle of laser optical feedback microscope was presented and demonstrated. Three methods to advance the vertical resolution of laser optical feedback microscope were experimentally studied. The first one is to detect the two polarized lights’ intensities separately with a Wollaston prism instead of to detect the whole light’s intensity. The second is that both of the two orthogonally polarized lights of a birefringent dual frequency laser are fed back. The third one is that only one of the orthogonally polarized lights is fed back. The experimental results show that the modes competition between orthogonally polarized lights can be used to improve the vertical resolution of laser optical feedback microscope effectively.

Standing-wave spectrometry in silicon nano-waveguides using reflection-based near-field scanning optical microscopy

Utilizing reflection-based near-field scanning optical microscopy(NSOM) to image and analyze standing-wave patterns, we present a characterization technique potentially suitable for complex photonic integrated circuits. By raster scanning along the axis of a straight nano-waveguide in tapping mode and sweeping wavelength, detailed information of propagating waves in that waveguide has been extracted from analyses in both space and wavelength domains. Our technique needs no special steps for phase stabilization, thus allowing long-duration and environment-insensitive measurements. As a proof-of-concept test, in a silicon single-mode waveguide with a few of etched holes, the locations and reflection strengths of the inner defects have been quantified. The measurement uncertainty of the reflection amplitude is less than 25% at current stage. Our technique paves the way for non-destructively diagnosing photonic circuits on a chip with sub-wavelength spatial resolution and detailed information extraction.

Micro-Scanning Error Correction Technique for an Optical Micro-Scanning Thermal Microscope Imaging System

An error correction technique for the micro-scanning instrument of the optical micro-scanning thermal microscope imaging system is proposed. The technique is based on micro-scanning technology combined with the proposed second-order oversampling reconstruction algorithm and local gradient image reconstruction algorithm. In this paper, we describe the local gradient image reconstruction model, the error correction technique, down-sampling model and the error correction principle. In this paper, we use a Lena original image and four low-resolution images obtained from the standard half-pixel displacement to simulate and verify the effectiveness of the proposed technique. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed technique, two groups of low-resolution thermal microscope images are collected by the actual thermal microscope imaging system for experimental study. Simulations and experiments show that the proposed technique can reduce the optical micro-scanning errors, improve the imaging effect of the system and improve the system's spatial resolution. It can be applied to other electro-optical imaging systems to improve their resolution.

Microstructure Investigation on Refractories Under Optical Microscopes

Optical microscopes with polishing equipment possess high performance/cost ratio for refractories industry. Here, the preparation of polishing sections of refractory materials and products and their observation under microscopes were introduced in detail. The observation of microstructures helps to improve and optimize production process. Optical microscopes can observe （1） homogenous or inhomogeneous composition distribution to improve mixing intensity; （2） coarse grains contact or not and contacted grain edges broken or intact to adjust the pressing parameters to avoid overpressure ; （ 3 ） the filling degree of components to optimize the particle size distribution; （4） the sintering necks and bridges and matrix shrinkage status to adjust sintering intensity or sintering atmosphere; （5） the crack edge in round or sharp to know when the cracks formed （ before or after entering sintering zone） and take countermeasures ; （6） used refractories to find the wear mechanism.

Design and Testing of an Underwater Microscope with Variable Objective Lens for the Study of Benthic Communities

Monitoring the ecology and physiology of corals,sediments,planktons,and microplastic at a suitable spatial resolution is of great importance in oceanic scientific research.To meet this requirement,an underwater microscope with an electrically controlled variable lens was designed and tested.The captured microscopic images of corals,sediments,planktons,and microplastic revealed their physical,biological,and morphological characteristics.Further studies of the images also revealed the growth,degradation,and bleaching patterns of corals;the presence of plankton communities;and the types of microplastics.The imaging performance is majorly influenced by the choice of lenses,camera selection,and lighting method.Image dehazing,global saturation masks,and image histograms were used to extract the image features.Fundamental experimental proof was obtained with micro-scale images of corals,sediments,planktons,and microplastic at different magnifications.The designed underwater microscope can provide relevant new insights into the observation and detection of the future conditions of aquatic ecosystems.

Remote-mode microsphere nano-imaging：new boundaries for optical microscope

Remote-mode microsphere nanoscope can observe the nano-structures with 23 nm feature size. It does not require samplepreparation and functions in both ambient air and liquid environments. Compared with the scientific characterizationtools listed in Table S1, the simple and portable nature makes the microsphere nanoscope a favorable solution forgeneral purpose imaging in practical fields, like hospitals, food industry, semiconductor production lines, schools andenvironment agencies.

Multi-mode Scanning Near-field Optical Microscope

A scanning near-field optical microscope using uncoated fiber tipis described, which can work in transmission and reflectionconfigurations, both capable of working in illumination andcollection-mode, so that either transparent of opaque sample can beinvestigated. Depending on different applications, eitherconstant-gap or constant-height images can be achieved. A compacthomemade translator permits to elect interested area of sample in therange of 4 mm×4 mm.

Development of a portable reflectance confocal microscope and its application in the noninvasive in vivo evaluation of mesenchymal stem cell-promoted cutaneous wound healing

The process of wound healing is routinely evaluated by histological evaluation in the clinic,which may cause scarring and secondary injury.Reflectance confocal microscopy(RCM)represents a noninvasive,real-time imaging technique that allows in vivo evaluation of the skin.Traditional RCM was wide-probe-based,which limited its application on uneven and covered skin.In this study,we report the development of a portable reflectance confocal microscope(PRCM)in which all components were assembled in a handheld shell.Although the size and weight of the PRCM were reduced based on the use of a microelectromechanical system,the resolution was kept at 0.91μm,and the field of view of the system was 343μm×532μm.When used in vivo,the PRCM was able to visualize cellular and nuclear morphology for both mouse and human skin.PRCM evaluations were then performed on wounds after topically applied mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)or saline treatment.The PRCM allowed visualization of the formation of collagen bundles,re-epithelization from the wound edge to the wound bed,and hair follicle regeneration,which were consistent with histological evaluations.Therefore,we offer new insights into monitoring the effects of topically applied MSCs on the process of wound healing by using PRCM.This study illustrates that the newly developed PRCM represents a promising device for real-time,noninvasive monitoring of the dynamic process of wound healing,which demonstrates its potential to diagnose,monitor,or predict disease in clinical wound therapy.

Oversample Reconstruction Based on a Strong Inter-Diagonal Matrix for an Optical Microscanning Thermal Microscope Imaging System

Based on a strong inter-diagonal matrix and Taylor series expansions,an oversample reconstruction method was proposed to calibrate the optical micro-scanning error. The technique can obtain regular 2 ×2 microscanning undersampling images from the real irregular undersampling images,and can then obtain a high spatial oversample resolution image. Simulations and experiments show that the proposed technique can reduce optical micro-scanning error and improve the system＇s spatial resolution. The algorithm is simple,fast and has low computational complexity. It can also be applied to other electro-optical imaging systems to improve their spatial resolution and has a widespread application prospect.

Application of a microscopic optical potential of chiral effective field theory in (p, d) transfer reactions

The microscopic global nucleon–nucleus optical model potential(OMP)proposed by Whitehead,Lim,and Holt,the WLH potential(Whitehead et al.,Phys Rev Lett 127:182502,2021),which was constructed in the framework of many-body per-turbation theory with state-of-the-art nuclear interactions from chiral effective field theory(EFT),was tested with(p,d)transfer reactions calculated using adiabatic wave approximation.The target nuclei included both stable and unstable nuclei,and the incident energies reached 200 MeV.The results were compared with experimental data and predictions using the phenomenological global optical potential of Koning and Delaroche,the KD02 potential.Overall,we found that the micro-scopic WLH potential described the(p,d)reaction angular distributions similarly to the phenomenological KD02 potential;however,the former was slightly better than the latter for radioactive targets.On average,the obtained spectroscopic factors(SFs)using both microscopic and phenomenological potentials were similar when the incident energies were below approxi-mately 120 MeV.However,their difference tended to increase at higher incident energies,which was particularly apparent for the doubly magic target nucleus 40Ca.

利用AFM和SNOM对淋巴细胞膜表面超微结构及其光学性质的初步研究

利用原子力显微镜(AtomicForceMicroscopy,AFM)对淋巴细胞表面形貌进行了形态学的初步研究,观察到了其膜表面其他显微技术所不能发现的超微结构.同时也运用扫描近场光学显微镜(ScanningNearfieldOpticalMi croscopy,SNOM)对淋巴细胞进行成像,观察了其对光的透射、吸收等光学性质,并对两种成像方法进行了比较.研究发现:淋巴细胞膜表面凹凸不平,分布着大量直径几十到几百纳米不等的小颗粒;淋巴细胞中央部位有自发荧光现象.结果表明,AFM和SNOM可作为进一步探讨淋巴细胞的结构与功能关系的有力工具.

Mg-Li-Al合金光学金相(OM)的研究

通过对LA141和LAZ933两种Mg-Li合金使用不同的腐蚀剂来制取金相,实验结果获得了制取Mg-Li合金金相的可行方法。对Mg-Li合金的研究提供了切实可行的辅助方法,解决了Mg-Li合金研究过程中的一大困难。

照明模式SNOM中样品对近场光场分布的影响

在同时考虑样品的形貌及材料光学参量和入射光偏振模式的情况下,利用基于边界元方法编写的二维矢量电磁场计算程序,对工作在照明模式下的扫描近场光学显微镜(Scanning Near-field Optical Microscope,SNOM)的近场矢量电磁场分布进行了数值计算模拟研究.结果表明,在没有表面形貌特征时,探针的光能量透射率随样品材料的折射率和损耗角的增加而增大,而样品表面光斑尺寸受折射率和损耗角的影响很小;对有形貌特征的探针扫描像研究结果表明,SNOM的分辨率随着样品的折射率和损耗角的增加而提高;对SNOM不同的工作模式的扫描成像信号进行的计算结果表明,恒定间距扫描方式比恒定高度扫描方式对样品表面的细节有较强的分辨能力.

SNOM压电扫描器非线性特征的测量与校正

扫描近场光学显微镜(SNOM)是基于非辐射场的产生和探测,能够实现超衍射极限分辨率的光学成像。但纳米精度的压电陶瓷扫描器的非线性始终是影响成像质量的关键问题。该文提出了改善SNOM系统中压电陶瓷扫描器的非线性特性的方法。在测得的压电陶瓷位移-电压关系的基础上,运用校正压电陶瓷非线性的方法,使压电陶瓷扫描器位移输出的线性度大幅度提高,相关系数从0.99提高到0.9999。实验结果表明,经过非线性校正,SNOM光学图像质量得到明显改善。

超越SNOM探针通光孔径尺寸的金属纳米间隙超分辨测量

采用电磁场有限元方法,数值模拟了孔径型扫描近场光学显微镜(aperture Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy,a-SNOM)在照明模式下的工作过程.针对金偶极天线结构,改变天线长度和纳米间隙尺寸,计算了a-SNOM探针孔径的远场辐射速率随探针端面中心坐标变化的扫描曲线,实现了超越a-SNOM探针通光孔径尺寸的天线金属纳米间隙的超分辨测量,对于100nm通光孔径的探针,可分辨最小尺寸为10nm(0.016倍波长)的金属间隙.通过对比金属和介质偶极天线的a-SNOM探针远场辐射速率测量的计算结果,表明天线金属纳米间隙的超分辨测量的实现是由于金属间隙表面等离激元的激发.

Influence of InAs deposition thickness on the structural and optical properties of InAs quantum wires

The influence of InAs deposition thickness on the structural and optical properties of InAs/InA1As quantum wires （QWR） superlattices （SLS） was studied. The transmission electron microscopy （TEM） results show that with increasing the InAs deposited thickness, the size uniformity and spatial ordering of InAs QWR SLS was greatly improved, but threading dislocations initiated from InAs nanowires for the sample with 6 monolayers （MLs） InAs deposition. In addition, the zig-zag features along the extending direc- tion and lateral interlink of InAs nanowires were also observed. The InAs nanowires, especially for the first period, were laterally compact. These structural features may result in easy tunneling and coupling of charge carders between InAs nanowires and will hamper their device applications to some extent. Some suggestions are put forward for further improving the uniformity of the stacked InAs QWRs, and for suppressing the formation of the threading dislocations in InAs QWR SLS.

High Accuracy Zoom Magnification Measurement

A precise zoom magnification is important for semiconductor industry and biomedical research. A novel measurement method is demonstrated for optical zoom magnification measurement in this paper. The magnification is obtained by pattern correction between barcode image formed by optical zoom and reference image generated by an ideal optical model. Measurement accuracy which is better than 0.06% has been achieved for optical zoom magnification. Compared with traditional concept, the measurement results are only dependent on two line edges. The barcode correlation method can achieve higher accuracy and better robustness by using the information over the whole field of view.