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Fabrication of Zero Mode Waveguides for High Concentration Single Molecule Microscopy
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Fabrication of Multimode-Single Mode Polymer Fiber Tweezers for Single Cell Trapping and Identification with Improved
Sandra M Rodrigues1,2, Joana S Paiva3,4,5, Rita S R Ribeiro6
1INESC TEC-INESC Technology and Science, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal. up201404983@fc.up.pt.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|August 24, 2018
Summary
Researchers developed enhanced optical fiber tweezers using a novel fabrication method. These improved fiber tweezers offer significantly stronger cell trapping and identification capabilities for biological and medical applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Optics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Optical fiber tweezers are valuable tools for non-invasive manipulation of biological microparticles.
- Previous work introduced polymeric micro-lenses on single-mode fibers for trapping and identification.
- Existing methods faced limitations in trapping strength and robustness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel fabrication method for more robust optical fiber tweezers.
- To enhance the trapping force and particle identification capabilities of fiber tweezers.
- To explore parameter tuning for tailored trapping and sensing applications.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of fiber tips by introducing a multimode fiber section onto a single-mode fiber.
- Utilizing a self-guided photopolymerization process for micro-lens formation.
- Experimental and theoretical analysis of fabrication parameters (multimode section length, laser power).
Main Results:
- Achieved a 2-to-10-fold increase in trapping effects compared to previous configurations.
- Maintained the ability to distinguish different particle classes via back-scattered signal analysis.
- Demonstrated tunability of fabrication parameters for specific applications.
Conclusions:
- The novel fabrication method significantly improves optical fiber tweezer performance.
- Enhanced fiber tweezers offer stronger, more robust, and versatile microparticle manipulation.
- This advancement holds promise for improved applications in biology and medicine.
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