Mapping electron-beam-injected trapped charge with scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy

Detection of ion implantation in focused ion beam processing by scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy

We employed scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) to explore the implantation of gallium ions in a silicon substrate after focused ion beam (FIB) etching. Different ion doses were applied, and the s-SNOM amplitude image contrast between the processed and unprocessed regions was investigated. The results demonstrate that the contrast decreases along with the increase of the ion dose. A similar dependence of the residual gallium element concentration on the ion dose is found from the energy dispersive spectroscopy. Such comparisons imply that s-SNOM imaging is sensitive to the implanted ions. The s-SNOM aided analysis of FIB etching can benefit the fabrication optimization, especially when the processed materials' properties are of critical importance.

Correlative imaging of biological tissues with apertureless scanning near-field optical microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy

Apertureless scanning near-field optical microscopy (ASNOM) has attracted considerable interest over the past years as a result of its valuable contrast mechanisms and capabilities for optical resolutions in the nanoscale range. However, at this moment the intersections between ASNOM and the realm of bioimaging are scarce, mainly due to data interpretation difficulties linked to the limited body of work performed so far in this field and hence the reduced volume of supporting information. We propose an imaging approach that holds significant potential for alleviating this issue, consisting of correlative imaging of biological specimens using a multimodal system that incorporates ASNOM and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), which allows placing near-field data into a well understood context of anatomical relevance. We demonstrate this approach on zebrafish retinal tissue. The proposed method holds important implications for the in-depth understanding of biological items through the prism of ASNOM and CLSM data complementarity.

Electrically Polarized Biomaterials

Electrically polarized biomaterials and their interactions with the surrounding biological environment is important for understanding the host response, growth and inhibition of biological species as well as the long-term fate and performance of the implants. Polarized materials possess electrical charges at the surface due to polar or electret properties. As these surfaces are at the frontier of biological reactions understanding biological interactions at the interface with polarized biomaterials requires a convergence of understanding multiple disciplines. This article discusses progress that has taken place in the fields of surface and interface science, materials science and biomedical device engineering to obtain a better perspective of such interactions.