Fluorescence interference-contrast microscopy on oxidized silicon using a monomolecular dye layer

A silicon chip is covered by a monomolecular film of a fluorescence dye with silicon dioxide used as a spacer. The fluorescence depends on the distance of the dye from the silicon. The modulation of the intensity is described quantitatively by an optical theory which accounts for interference of the exciting light and of the emitted light. The effect is used to obtain a microscopic picture of the surface profile with a precision of a few Angstroms. The perspectives for an application in wet systems such as neuron-silicon junctions and lipid membranes on silicon are pointed out.