Apertureless Scanning Near-field Microscopy Research Articles

Apertureless SNOM imaging of the surface phonon polariton waves: what do we measure?

The apertureless scanning near-field microscope (ASNOM) mapping of surface phonon polariton (SPP) waves being excited at the surface of the SiC polar crystal at a frequency corresponding to the lattice resonance was investigated. The wave with well-defined direction and source position, as well as a well-known propagation law, was used to calibrate the signal of an ASNOM. An experimental proof is presented showing that the signal collected by the ASNOM in such a case is proportional (as a complex number) to the local field amplitude above the surface, regardless of the tip response model.

Three-dimensional optical antennas: Nanocones in an apertureless scanning near-field microscope

A sharp-tipped gold nanocone and the vertically aligned metallic tip of a near-field optical microscope together form a three-dimensional optical antenna with a highly controllable gap. Confocal measurements with different laser modes show the efficient axial excitation of the cones with a longitudinally polarized field. In the antenna configuration, extremely strong field enhancement up to a factor of 100 is obtained by tuning the gap between the two sharp tips down to few nanometers.

Near-field second-harmonic generation at a metal tip apex

Second-harmonic generation at a gold tip apex has been studied within the context of applications in apertureless scanning near-field microscopy. Polarization and distance dependencies of second-harmonic generation have been investigated and compared to respective dependencies for scattered fundamental light. The results shows that, in general, different topological features of a tip are responsible for scattering and second-harmonic generation in the far and near field. The near-field interaction between a probe tip and a surface significantly modifies enhancement of the electromagnetic field at the tip and results in different distance dependencies of near-field scattering and second-harmonic generation. The polarization contrast obtained with the second-harmonic signal significantly exceeds the polarization contrast of linear scattering from the tip.

Theory of a magnetic microscope with nanometer resolution

We propose a theory for a type of apertureless scanning near-field microscopy that is intended to allow the measurement of magnetism on a nanometer length scale. A scanning probe, for example a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) tip, is used to scan a magnetic substrate while a laser is focused on it. The electric field between the tip and substrate is enhanced in such a way that the circular polarization due to the Kerr effect, which is normally of order 0.1%, is increased by up to two orders of magnitude for the case of a Ag or W tip and an Fe sample. Apart from this there is a large background of circular polarization which is nonmagnetic in origin. This circular polarization is produced by light scattered from the STM tip and substrate. A detailed retarded calculation for this light-in-light-out experiment is presented.

Coherent near field optical microscopy

The light scattering from a single resonant molecule, or nano-sized particle located near the tip of an apertureless scanning near-field microscope is studied, and different regimes of scattering are analyzed. The tip enhances the external field, and serves as an efficient transmission `antenna' for the molecular dipole oscillations. The light scattering occurs via two channels: direct scattering from the tip, and tip-mediated molecular scattering. The total detected intensity of the scattered light shows interference of the channels, which we suggest to use for efficient near-field microscopy. At certain detunings from resonances the scanning signal experiences spatial narrowing similar to that one observed in two-photon microscopy, thus allowing for sub-nanometer resolution.