Open AccessLow-loss metal-dielectric waveguide mode enabled structured illumination microscopy with 018λ0 resolution
Author(s) -
Fanfei Meng,
Luping Du,
Aiping Yang,
Chonglei Zhang,
Xiaocong Yuan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.27.009250
Subject(s) - optics , waveguide , total internal reflection fluorescence microscope , dielectric , aperture (computer memory) , total internal reflection , materials science , microscopy , lens (geology) , resolution (logic) , numerical aperture , wavelength , plasmon , reflection (computer programming) , image resolution , physics , optoelectronics , computer science , artificial intelligence , acoustics , programming language
Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) is a powerful super-resolved imaging technique which enables to perform fast and in vivo imaging of bio-samples. In order to achieve a better resolution of a SIM system, evanescent waves with larger in-plane wave-vector are preferred for SIM, among which the total internal reflection (TIRF-SIM) and the plasmonic SIM (pSIM) configurations are widely studied. Here, we demonstrated a metal-dielectric waveguide (MDW) based SIM system - termed as MDW-SIM, which can achieve a good compromise between TIRF-SIM and pSIM. The MDW can support a low-loss waveguide mode at an aqueous environment, with an evanescent tail existing above the water/dielectric interface for SIM. A proof-of-concept imaging experiment was performed on fluorescent beads, where a spatial resolution of 86nm was achieved at a 473nm illumination wavelength and a 1.45 numerical aperture objective lens. The proposed MDW-SIM has a great potential for the bio-imaging applications.