Method of producing spatial fine structures

US7764369B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Föderung der Wissenschaften e.V. · US

Inventors

• Stefan W. Hell · Oebisfelde, DE
• Volker Westphal · Hannover, DE
• Norbert Quaas · Bremen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 18, 2007
• Grant date: Jul 27, 2010
• Expiry date: Jan 30, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G03F7/105
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method of producing spatial fine structures comprises the steps of: selecting a luminophore from the group of luminophores displaying two different states, one of the two states being an active state in which luminescence light is obtainable from the luminophore, the other of the two states being an inactive state in which no luminescence light is obtainable from the luminophore, and the luminophore being reversibly, but essentially completely, transferable out the one state into the other state by means of an optical signal; adding the luminophore to a material; forming a spatial fine structure of the material; and fluorescence-microscopically examining whether the desired fine structure is present. The step of fluorescence-microscopically examining comprises the sub-steps of: outside measuring points of interest, transferring the luminophore into the other state with the optical signal, the luminophore being essentially completely transferred into the inactive state outside the measuring points, and measuring luminescence light only emitted by the luminophore in the active state, to even resolve lines of the fine structure at a distance of less than 100 nm.