Glass microscopy slides are typically used as substrates in fluorescence microscopy studies of proteins and single molecules. During these studies, glass slides must be free of organic contamination to prevent unwanted background fluorescence. Plasma treatment removes these organic contaminants without using dangerous chemicals. Plasma treatment also enhances the deposition of surface coatings that can be used to tether single molecules to the slide surfaces. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) or polyethylene glycol (PEG) are commonly used to enable single molecular studies following plasma treatment.
