| The work in this dissertation describes the development of imaging fiber-based array devices, specifically the fabrication and application of an optical tweezer array, a fiber-based nanoarray, and a nanotip array. With regards for the fabrication of an optical tweezer array, this thesis describes how fiber bundles have been used as a method to create multiple beams, which are used as optical traps. By coupling a single beam into an imaging fiber bundle, the light energy is distributed across the face of the fiber bundle. Each illuminated individual fiber in the array propagates light to the distal face of the bundle, where light focusing elements at the end of each fiber focus the laser light and form optical traps. These optical traps are capable of capturing and arraying microspheres in parallel. The number of optical traps is determined by the number of fibers in the optical fiber bundle and is capable of creating a dense array (∼104 traps/mm2) of optical tweezers.; This dissertation also describes the fabrication of fiber bundle-based nanoarrays with two different size formats---one with 700 nm array elements and one with 300 nm array elements. These arrays have an ultra-high packing density in that they contain 1 x 106 or 4.5 x 10 6 array elements/mm2. Current fiber bundle-based arrays have micron feature sizes and a high packing density, up to 5 x 10 4 fibers/mm2. These nanoarrays have feature sizes at least 4 times smaller than the micron-sized arrays used and contain up to 4.5 x 106 fibers/mm2. Nanofiber bundles were chemically etched to create nanowells into which sensors were deposited. The number of sensor elements in these arrays provides enough sensing positions such that they could be used to screen an entire genome while also moving towards the concept of a universal array. In addition, this high density of sensors allows for a large number of replicates, leading to an improvement in the signal to noise ratio.; An improvement on creating nanoapertures that was originally developed by Paul Pantano, a former postdoctoral fellow in the Walt lab, is also discussed in this thesis. The original technique employed a mechanical puller that heated and pulled a fiber bundle, which was then polished and etched to create nanowells. Although effective, the technique was difficult to reproduce. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
