FUNCTIONALIZATION OF SILICON OXIDE NANOSTRUCTURES VIA COVALENT BINDING OF FLUORESCEIN DYE MOLECULES

Local anodic oxidation (LAO) by atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to generate silicon oxide nanostructures on alkyl monolayer terminated silicon. These structures are selectively functionalized by anchoring optically active molecules through a chemical bottom-up approach. First silane molecules with amino head-groups are bound from solution on top of the silicon oxide as a linker layer. In the second wet-chemical step fluoresceinthioisocyanate (FITC) reacts with the amino groups and thus is bound covalently to the nanostructure. The successful binding was verified by AFM and spectrally resolved optical investigations.