title: Fabrication of nanoscale zero-mode waveguides using microlithography for single molecule sensing.
abstract: We present a novel approach to the fabrication of zero-mode waveguides (ZMWs) using inexpensive processing techniques. Our method is capable of rapid fabrication of circular nanoapertures with diameters ranging from 70 nm to 2 μm, allowing us to perform a detailed characterization of the dependence of the fluorescence emission on the waveguide diameter. We also validated the use of the fabricated ZMWs by detecting single molecule binding events with a signal-to-noise ratio of ten.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA.
authors.forename: Chu-Hsiang
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.forename: Troy A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Lionberger
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Meyhöfer
authors.forename: Pei-Cheng
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Ku