Direct measurement of nanometric displacement under an optical microscope

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Nanotechnology
• Microscopy

Background:

• Conventional optical microscopes typically lack the resolution for nanometric measurements.
• Measuring nanoscale displacements is crucial for understanding various physical and biological phenomena.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, high-accuracy method for measuring nanometric displacement using a standard optical microscope.
• To adapt the technique for measuring displacements of both artificial and biological microstructures.

Main Methods:

• A prism-shaped mirror was employed to divide the magnified image of a pinhole or microbead.
• The difference in light intensity between the divided images was measured, correlating directly with displacement.
• The system was calibrated using a 5-microm diameter pinhole to achieve nanometric accuracy.

Main Results:

• The developed method demonstrated an accuracy of approximately 1 nanometer for displacement measurement.
• The technique was successfully applied to measure nanometric displacements of polystyrene microbeads.
• The light intensity difference was found to be proportional to the pinhole's displacement.

Conclusions:

• A cost-effective and accessible method for nanometric displacement measurement using optical microscopy has been established.
• The technique offers a viable approach for probing nanometric phenomena in diverse scientific fields.
• The adaptability to using microbeads broadens the applicability of this microscopy enhancement.