Nano
A near-field scanning optical microscope on a chip
Nano-precise flow-controlled probing combines microfluidics with the sensitivity of nanoscopic probes. All it takes is a microscope, an easy-to-fabricate microfluidic device, and a supply of nanoprobes.
Why nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology is the practical application of nanoscale particles to probe and control matter, energy and information at ever smaller scales. Changing matter and information at the nano scale has direct consequences on the macro scale: for pharma it is a step change in how drugs are produced; for engineers it means applying big-world knowledge to an invisible one.
Conventional NSOMs cost over $200,000, need complex vibration isolation and highly trained users, and their mechanical tips interfere with imaging — limiting commercial systems to 50–100 nm.
The innovation
We replaced NSOM mechanics with precisely controlled fluid flow. The chip creates the flow, the microscope localizes the nanoprobe to nanometer precision, and the probe intensity at each location yields the nano-resolved image. The result is a simple, inexpensive accessory that gives an ordinary microscope the capabilities of an NSOM.
Because the light source is a free-floating nanoprobe — a quantum dot or nanobead — rather than a mechanical tip, there is nothing to crash into the sample and no vibration isolation to maintain.
- Imaging resolution
- 10 nm
- Add-on cost
- ~$200
- vs. commercial NSOM
- 5× better
Utility
The accessory lets a standard microscope achieve nano-resolved images for roughly $200 in additional cost. It requires no vibration isolation, no specialist operator, and has already demonstrated 10 nm resolution — exceeding commercial NSOM systems by more than a factor of five, with further improvement expected.