Contrast enhancement using silica microspheres in coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopic imaging

Authors

X. Huang, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
X. N. He, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
W. Xiong, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Y. Gao, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
L. J. Jiang, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Li Liu, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Y. S. Zhou, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
L. Jiang, Beijing Institute of Technology
J. F. Silvain, Institut de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Bordeaux
Yongfeng Lu, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2-5-2014

Citation

Optics Express 22:3 (2014), pp. 2889 - 2896; doi: 10.1364/OE.22.002889

Comments

Copyright © Optical Society of America. Used by permission.

Abstract

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy is a powerful imaging technique that can provide chemical information of organic and nonorganic materials through vibrational spectroscopy. However, its contrast is not sufficient for monitoring thin film materials. In this study, silica microspheres were employed for enhancing the signal contrast in CARS imaging. One layer of optically transparent silica microspheres was self-assembled onto polymer grating samples to enhance the CARS signals. The highest contrast enhancement factor of 12.5 was achieved using 6.1-μm-diameter microspheres. Finite-difference timedomain method (FDTD) simulation was conducted to simulate the contrast enhancement with silica microspheres of different diameters.