Abstract
We investigated the signal-to-noise ratio () of real-time single-molecule fluorescence imaging (SMFI) using zero-mode waveguides (ZMWs). The excitation light and the fluorescence propagating from a molecule in the ZMW were analyzed by computational optics simulation. The dependence of the on the ZMW structure was investigated with the diameter and etching depth as the simulation parameters. We found that the SMFI using a conventional ZMW was near the critical level for detecting binding and dissociation events. We show that etching the glass surface of the ZMW by 60 nm enhances the six times the conventional nonetched ZMWs. The enhanced improves the temporal resolution of the SMFI at physiological concentrations.
- Received 8 May 2013
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.88.012727
©2013 American Physical Society