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Observation and Analysis of Blinking Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering

Observation and Analysis of Blinking Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering

Published on: January 11, 2018

Non-blinking single-photon emitters in silica.

Freddy T Rabouw¹, Nicole M B Cogan², Anne C Berends¹

¹Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Scientific Reports

|February 20, 2016

Summary

Glass microscope cover slips contain intrinsic fluorescent defects. These defects emit single photons and can be mistaken for quantum dots in spectroscopy experiments.

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Spectroscopy
Optics

Background:

Single-emitter spectroscopy typically uses spin-coated emitters on silicate glass cover slips.
Intrinsic optical properties of glass substrates are often overlooked in sample preparation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the intrinsic fluorescence of borosilicate glass and quartz cover slips.
To determine if these intrinsic emissions interfere with single-emitter spectroscopy.
To characterize the optical properties of these intrinsic defect centers.

Main Methods:

Excitation of borosilicate glass and quartz cover slips at 532 nm.
Microscopic imaging to observe fluorescence.
Emission spectrum analysis to characterize the photoluminescence.
Photoluminescence lifetime measurements.

Main Results:

Both borosilicate glass and quartz exhibit intrinsic defect color centers that fluoresce at 532 nm.
The defect emission is spectrally indistinguishable from spin-coated emitters in microscope images.
The emission spectrum shows peaks between 2.05 and 2.20 eV, linked to silica vibrations.
These defects are non-blinking single-photon emitters with nanosecond lifetimes.

Conclusions:

Intrinsic defects in glass cover slips can be misinterpreted as single nanocrystal quantum dots.
Careful characterization is needed to distinguish intrinsic substrate fluorescence from actual emitters.
Understanding these defects is crucial for accurate single-emitter spectroscopy.