title: Thin-film-based sensitivity enhancement for total internal reflection fluorescence live-cell imaging.
abstract: We investigated experimentally the evanescent field enhancement based on dielectric thin films in total internal reflection microscopy. The sample employed two layers of Al2O3 and SiO2 deposited on an SF10 glass substrate. Field intensity enhancement measured by fluorescent excitation of microbeads relative to that of a control sample without dielectric films was polarization dependent, determined as 4.2 and 2.4 for TE and TM polarizations, respectively, and was in good agreement with numerical results. The thin-film-based field enhancement was also applied to live-cell imaging of quantum dots, which confirmed the sensitivity enhancement qualitatively.
authors.affiliation: Program for Nanomedical Science and Technology, Department of Medical Imaging, School of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyujung
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eun-Jin
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Yong-Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Huh
authors.forename: Donghyun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000537:Aluminum Oxide; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005453:Fluorescence; D005898:Glass; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008863:Microspheres; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012822:Silicon Dioxide
chemical_list: D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D000537:Aluminum Oxide