Detection limits of confocal surface plasmon microscopy
#MMPMID24940537
Pechprasarn S
; Somekh MG
Biomed Opt Express
2014[Jun]; 5
(6
): 1744-56
PMID24940537
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This paper applies rigorous diffraction theory to evaluate the minimum mass
sensitivity of a confocal optical microscope designed to excite and detect
surface plasmons operating on a planar metallic substrate. The diffraction model
is compared with an intuitive ray picture which gives remarkably similar
predictions. The combination of focusing the surface plasmons and accurate phase
measurement mean that under favorable but achievable conditions detection of
small numbers of molecules is possible, however, we argue that reliable detection
of single molecules will benefit from the use of structured surfaces. System
configurations needed to optimize performance are discussed.
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