Abstract
We present a new kind of fluorescent oxide nanoparticle (NP) with properties well suited toactive-tip based near-field optics. These particles with an average diameter in the5–10 nm range are produced by low energy cluster beam deposition (LECBD) from aYAG:Ce3+ target. They are studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray photoelectronspectroscopy (XPS), cathodoluminescence, near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM)and fluorescence in the photon-counting mode. Particles of extreme photo-stability as smallas 10 nm in size are observed. These emitters are validated as building blocks ofactive NSOM tips by coating a standard optical tip with a 10 nm thick layer ofYAG:Ce3+ particles directly in the LECBD reactor and by subsequently performing NSOM imaging oftest surfaces.
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