High-Throughput Fabrication of Zero-Mode Waveguide Nanoapertures for Enhanced Single-Molecule Fluorescence Detection

Our recent publication in Small presents a new scalable way to fabricate zero-mode waveguides (ZMWs) which are metallic nanoapertures confining light into volumes 1000x smaller than the diffraction limit. These nanostructures enable single-molecule fluorescence detection at biologically relevant micromolar concentrations, something traditional microscopes cannot achieve.

By combining sol-gel nanoimprint lithography with hydrofluoric acid vapor etching, we developed a cost-effective, high-throughput process to produce high-performance ZMW arrays without expensive nanofabrication tools. Experiments with single fluorescent molecules demonstrated the effectivity and performance of our ZMWS for single molecule fluroescence detection, showing up to eightfold brightness enhancement and sub-millisecond temporal resolution across the visible spectrum.

This work opens the door to affordable, large-scale nanostructures devices, making nanophotonics techniques more accessible for applications in biophysics, biosensing, and advanced fluorescence microscopy.

Congratulations Hamza! Accessible freely through gold open access.