Ut-battelle, Inc.

Other

Tsinghua University

Thomas L Ferrell

Thomas George Thundat

Gilbert Morris Brown

Robert J Warmack

Ali Passian

Vineet K Khullar

Robin C Reddick

Gong Gu

Karolyn M Hansen

Fang Tian

A Surface Plasmon Scanning-Tunneling Chemical Mapping (SPSTM) system is disclosed that determines identification characteristics of a target material. An optical beam source launches an optical beam that propagates through a transparent optical element to a material layer to excite surface plasmons of the material layer. An optical probe with a nanometer-sized tip is positioned over a nanometer-sized region of the target material, which is positioned on the material layer, to measure a probe signal associated only with the surface plasmons that tunnel from the material layer through the nanometer-sized region of the target material and collected by the optical probe. An optical property analyzer is configured to determine at least one optical property associated with the nanometer-sized region based on the probe signal associated with the surface plasmons collected by the optical probe. The optical properties identify identification characteristics associated with the nanometer-sized region of the target material.

Surface plasmon scanning-tunneling chemical mapping (SPSTM) system

A method, system, and apparatus are provided for separating molecules, such as biomolecules. The method, system, and apparatus utilize an electrochemical cell having at least two electrodes, one electrode comprising a photo-sensitive material capable of generating a photopotential. Molecules are moved through an electrolyte medium between the at least two electrodes based upon localized photopotentials.

Photoelectrochemical molecular comb

A method, system, and apparatus are provided for separating molecules, such as biomolecules. The method, system, and apparatus utilize an electrochemical cell having at least to electrodes, one electrode comprising a photo-sensitive material capable of generating a photopotential. Molecules are moved through an electrolyte medium between the at least two electrodes based upon localized photopotentials.

A method and apparatus for separating molecules. The apparatus includes a substrate having a surface. A film in contact with the surface defines a substrate/film interface. An electrode electrically connected to the film applies a voltage potential between the electrode and the substrate to form a depletion region in the substrate at the substrate/film interface. A photon energy source having an energy level greater than the potential is directed at the depletion region to form electron-hole pairs in the depletion region. At least one of the electron-hole pairs is separated by the potential into an independent electron and an independent hole having opposite charges and move in opposing directions. One of the electron and hole reach the substrate/film interface to create a photopotential in the film causing charged molecules in the film to move in response to the localized photovoltage.

A microoptoelectromechanical integrated spectrometer with a photonic element assembly having metal foil removably disposed on a first transparent substrate surface, the substrate having no foil on any other surface. A means is provided for directing source photons that are reflected from or transmitted through a sample, over a range of angles of incidence, into the transparent substrate and onto the metal foil such that source photons are incident at the Brewsters angle. A means is also provided for detecting an induced exponential field in the metal foil. A means is also provided for relating the induced exponential field to a known exponential field for the sample and determining the identity of the sample. The spectrometer performs ultraviolet-to-visible-to-infrared spectroscopy using photon tunneling and surface plasmon excitation.

Spectrometry and filtering with high rejection of stray light

In an improved uncoated microcantilever detector, the sample sites are placed on a separate semi-conducting substrate and the microcantilever element detects and measures the changes before and after a chemical interaction or hybridization of the sites by sensing differences of phase angle between an alternating voltage applied to the microcantilever element and vibration of the microcantilever element. In another embodiment of the invention, multiple sample sites are on a sample array wherein an array of microcantilever elements detect and measure the change before and after chemical interactions or hybridizations of the sample sites.

High throughput microcantilever detector

A method and apparatus for photon scanning tunneling microscopy for examining a sample in a sample area on a surface at a subwavelength resolution is disclosed. The method comprises generating a near-field of photons at a surface containing a sample area. The near-field has an area that is larger than the sample area, and the near-field has an exponentially increasing intensity in a direction perpendicular to and towards the surface. The near-field is sampled with a probe which receives photons from that near-field that tunnel from the surface to the probe. The received photons are detected and a detector produces an output signal that is proportional to the number of photons received by the probe. The sample area is scanned with the probe in at least one direction parallel to the surface. While scanning, the probe may be maintained either at a position of a constant near-field intensity or at a position of constant distance from the surface. A photon scanning tunneling microscope for using the method is also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Knoxville, TN, United States of America

Thomas L Ferrell