Estimation of the Number of Quantum Dots Immobilized on an Ultra-flat Au Surface

• Main Authors: Hiroki Ito, Atsushi Iio, Katsutoshi Tokuhara, Hiroyuki Sakaue, Yutaka Kadoya, Hitoshi Suzuki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SpringerOpen 2017-04-01
• Series: Nanoscale Research Letters
• Subjects: Quantum dot; Immobilization; Self-assembled monolayer; Atomic force microscopy
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s11671-017-2056-2

Abstract Quantum dots (QDs) were immobilized on an ultra-flat Au surface by using amide binding between the carboxyl groups on the QDs and the amino groups of the self-assembled monolayer on the surface. The number density of the QDs estimated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) agreed with the quantity of QDs estimated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and fluorescence microscopy. QDs were also immobilized on dot patterns fabricated by e-beam lithography. AFM was able to identify clusters of just a few QDs on the dot patterns, whose minimum designed size was 50 nm × 50 nm per dot.