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Deep Subwavelength Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures on Silicon as a Novel Multifunctional Biosensing
Yulia Borodaenko1, Sergey Syubaev1,2, Stanislav Gurbatov1,2
1Institute of Automation and Control Processes, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Science, Vladivostok 690041, Russia.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|November 2, 2021
Summary
Researchers developed a novel, inexpensive method to create nanoscale surface structures on silicon. These structures enhance light localization for advanced medical and biosensing applications, improving sensitivity and performance.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology and Materials Science
- Photonics and Optics
- Biomedical Engineering and Biosensing
Background:
- Sub-100 nm resolution fabrication is crucial for advanced medical and biosensing platforms.
- Strong light localization in nanoscale gaps offers significant opportunities for enhanced sensing.
- Existing methods for creating such structures can be expensive and difficult to scale.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a cost-effective and scalable method for fabricating deep subwavelength structures.
- To investigate the properties and applications of these structures in biosensing.
- To achieve the shortest reported periodicity for laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSSs).
Main Methods:
- Direct femtosecond-laser ablation of crystalline silicon in isopropanol.
- Characterization of self-organized laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSSs) with nanoscale periodicity.
- Analysis of anisotropic anti-reflection performance and light localization within nanogaps.
- Demonstration of enhanced spontaneous emission and in situ optical tracing of molecular transformations.
Main Results:
- Fabrication of self-organized LIPSSs with a record periodicity of 70 ± 10 nm on silicon.
- Explanation of nanoscale morphology formation via interference and Rayleigh-Taylor hydrodynamic instability.
- Demonstration of strong anisotropic anti-reflection and efficient light delivery to electromagnetic 'hot spots'.
- Observed 80-fold enhancement in spontaneous emission from organic dye molecules.
- Successful in situ optical tracing of catalytic molecular transformations.
Conclusions:
- Deep subwavelength silicon LIPSSs offer a promising, inexpensive, and multifunctional platform for biosensing.
- The demonstrated fabrication method is scalable and achieves unprecedented nanoscale periodicity.
- These structures enable enhanced optical biosensing through strong interactions with nanoscale light fields.
Keywords:
Rayleigh−Taylor instabilitySEPLSERSbiosensingfemtosecond laser processinglaser-induced periodic surface structuressilicon
