Patent ID: 7807348

Claim:
A method for imaging a phenomenon that occurs on a surface of a substrate, comprising: (a) contacting a fluid with a top surface of a substrate, the top surface of the substrate comprising an anisotropic topography and defining a plurality of grooves, the grooves having a width ranging from 1 nm to 1,000 nm and a depth ranging from 1 nm to 5,000 nm, wherein the grooves are separated by a distance ranging from 1 nm to 5,000 nm; and (b) imaging a phenomenon that occurs on the top surface of the substrate by observing the substrate through incident and transmitted polarized light in the absence of a liquid crystal after the fluid has contacted the top surface of the substrate, wherein the wavelength of the polarized light is larger than the width and/or separation of the grooves defined on the top surface of the substrate; wherein the substrate is observed using a polarizer and an analyzer.