Near-field Scanning Optical Microscopy Probe Research Articles

Propagation constant-based diameter measurement technique for a submicrometer-scale optical fiber.

Diameter is a critical parameter for determining the physical properties of a submicrometer optical fiber and requires an accurate measurement. In this study, we proposed, to our knowledge, a novel diameter measurement technique derived from the waveguide theory, utilizing the pitch of a standing-wave near-field light generated by two counter-propagating lights within the submicrometer optical fiber. In a submicrometer optical fiber, the propagating light extends into the surrounding air as near-field light, existing within a range approximately equivalent to one wavelength from the surface of the fiber. By generating the standing-wave near-field light with the incident lights from both ends of the fiber, the pitch of the standing-wave near-field light can be measured by scanning along the fiber's central axis with a scanning near-field optical microscopy probe. The fiber diameter is subsequently acquired by solving the optical fiber eigenvalue equation. Based on the feasibility verification experiment, a high-precision measurement of approximately 0.50 µm was realized for the diameter of the optical fiber.

A historical overview of Nano-optics: From Near-Field Optics to Plasmonics

Abstract Nano-optics is an emergent research field in physics that appeared in the 1980s, which deals with light-matter optical interactions at the nanometer scale. In early studies of nano-optics, the main concern focus was to obtain higher optical resolution over the diffraction limit. The researches of near-field imaging and spectroscopy based on Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy (SNOM) were developed. The exploration of improving SNOM probe for near-field detection led to the emergence of surface plasmons. In the sense of resolution and wider application, there has been a significant transition from seeking higher resolution microscopy to plasmonic near-field modulations in the nano-optics community during the nano-optic development. Nowadays, studies of nano-optics prefer the investigation of plasmonics in different material systems. In this article, the history of the development of near-field optics is briefly reviewed. The difficulties of conventional SNOM to achieve higher resolution are discussed. As an alternative solution, surface plasmons have shown the advantages of higher resolution, wider application, and flexible nano-optical modulation for new devices. The typical studies in different periods are introduced and analyzed characteristics of nano-optics in each stage. In this way, the evolution progress from near-field optics to plasmonics of nano-optics research is presented. The future development of nano-optics is discussed then.

An Apertureless Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscope Probe with a Lateral Resolution of 10 – 15 nm Observed with a Semiconductor Structure

An Apertureless Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscope Probe with a Lateral Resolution of 10 – 15 nm Observed with a Semiconductor Structure

Dark-probe scanning near-field microscopy

Scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) is a well-known powerful optical technique for visualization of surface nanostructures and fields far beyond the diffraction limit and thus indispensable in material- and nanoscience. While the SNOM resolution is theoretically unlimited, the SNOM performance is in practice constrained by the signal-to-background ratio, simply because of light scattering scaling down as the sixth power of a nanoparticle size and useful signals rapidly drowning in the background for very small objects. In modern instruments, this problem is usually ameliorated through advanced post-processing techniques. Here, we suggest using, instead or in parallel, a ‘dark’ SNOM probe designed to suppress the background light scattering, so that the scattering occurs only when the probe is very close to a nanoscopic object. We argue and demonstrate with simulations that the dark-probe SNOM imaging is much more sensitive to the presence of tiny nanoparticles or any other nanoscale features, allowing thereby for superior resolution and sensing capabilities that are invaluable for nano-optical characterization.

Mechanism of near-field optical nanopatterning on noble metal nano-films by a nanosecond laser irradiating a cantilevered scanning near-field optical microscopy probe.

To overcome the diffraction limit, a laser irradiating cantilevered scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) probe has been used in near-field optical nanopatterning. In this paper, the mechanism of nanopatterning on noble metal nano-films by this technique is investigated by the finite element method. It is proposed that the main mechanism of this phenomenon is the melt and reshaping of the nano-film under the SNOM tip. The melt is caused by the surface plasmon polariton-assisted enhancement and restriction within the SNOM tip aperture. The impacts of the gap g between the tip and substrate and the polarization of the laser are further analyzed.

Fabrication of nanostructure on Au nano-film by nanosecond laser coupled with cantilevered scanning near-field optical microscopy probe

Diffraction limit has been the constraint of the nanostructure fabrication. Because the scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) can work in the evanescent near-field region, its application in nano-processing has received extensive attention from researchers globally. In this paper, we combined nanosecond laser with cantilevered SNOM probe. Utilizing the high precision of the confinement and enhancement effect of probe tip and the high instantaneous energy of the laser, we realized nanostructure fabrication and in situ detection on Au nano-film. Feature sizes down to 47 nm full width at half maximum were fabricated. We investigated the laser propagation through the SNOM tip aperture and the light field intensity distribution on the surface of substrate theoretically. The calculation results demonstrate that the laser is highly restricted within the SNOM aperture and enhanced on the exit plane at the rim of aperture. After the transmission, the light field intensity distribution on the surface of the Au nano-film was enhanced due to the localized surface plasmon resonance. The thermal distribution on the surface of Au nano-film indicates that the peak of the temperature distribution appeared at the surface right underneath the center of the aperture. It is proved that the simulation results are consistent with the experimental results.

Measurement properties of electric field intensity distribution of whispering gallery mode with near-field optical probe

The distribution of the external electric field intensity of the whispering gallery mode (WGM) can be measured using a scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) probe. As probing the resonator influences the optical resonance state, the measurement properties of the SNOM probe are worth studying. In this study, the measurement mechanism of WGMs using a glass SNOM probe was analyzed numerically. A probe with a nanometric-diameter is generally preferable. The results showed that the high-contrast measurement was possible; however, the signal was weak. Using a tip with a diameter equal to half the resonant wavelength, the signal strength was maximized with the same high contrast level as the nanoprobe. Interestingly, the measurement mechanism was different depending on tip size. With the nanoprobe, the interaction with the WGMs varied depending on the sensing locations; therefore, the resonant states were modulated during the measurements, which may have induced unexpected mode hopes. The resonance state was steady during measurements using a probe tip with a diameter of half the resonance wavelength. Although the mechanisms were different, the measured electric field intensity distributions were the same for both tip diameters.

Design and characterization of a new microscopy probe using COMSOL and ANSYS

This paper presents the design, simulation, and analysis of different 3D-shapes of scanning near-field optical microscopy probes, allowing the acquisition of both topographic and optical images. The study is conducted using COMSOL and ANSYS simulation tools to study the probe sensitivity and deflection. The simulation calculations of deflection and von Mises stress are denoted, analyzed, and compared based on the change in the probe shapes for the same applied force. The results obtained from the two finite element tools were similar, converged to the same ideal design, and showed the impact of the probe structure on the probe performance.

Simulation of Optical Nano-Manipulation with Metallic Single and Dual Probe Irradiated by Polarized Near-Field Laser

Nano-manipulation technology, as a kind of “bottom-up” tool, has exhibited an excellent capacity in the field of measurement and fabrication on the nanoscale. Although variety manipulation methods based on probes and microscopes were proposed and widely used due to locating and imaging with high resolution, the development of non-contacted schemes for these methods is still indispensable to operate small objects without damage. However, optical manipulation, especially near-field trapping, is a perfect candidate for establishing brilliant manipulation systems. This paper reports about simulations on the electric and force fields at the tips of metallic probes irradiated by polarized laser outputted coming from a scanning near-field optical microscope probe. Distributions of electric and force field at the tip of a probe have proven that the polarized laser can induce nanoscale evanescent fields with high intensity, which arouse effective force to move nanoparticles. Moreover, schemes with dual probes are also presented and discussed in this paper. Simulation results indicate that different combinations of metallic probes and polarized lasers will provide diverse near-field and corresponding optical force. With the suitable direction of probes and polarization direction, the dual probe exhibits higher trapping force and wider effective wavelength range than a single probe. So, these results give more novel and promising selections for realizing optical manipulation in experiments, so that distinguished multi-functional manipulation systems can be developed.

Probing higher order optical modes in all-dielectric nanodisk, -square, and -triangle by aperture type scanning near-field optical microscopy

Abstract All-dielectric nanoantennas, consisting of high refractive index semiconductor material, are drawing a great deal of attention in nanophotonics. Owing to their ability to manipulate efficiently the flow of light within sub-wavelength volumes, they have become the building blocks of a wide range of new photonic metamaterials and devices. The interaction of the antenna with light is largely governed by its size, geometry, and the symmetry of the multitude of optical cavity modes it supports. Already for simple antenna shapes, unraveling the full modal spectrum using conventional far-field techniques is nearly impossible due to the spatial and spectral overlap of the modes and their symmetry mismatch with incident radiation fields. This limitation can be circumvented by using localized excitation of the antenna. Here, we report on the experimental near-field probing of optical higher order cavity modes (CMs) and whispering gallery modes (WGMs) in amorphous silicon nanoantennas with simple, but fundamental, geometrical shapes of decreasing rotational symmetry: a disk, square, and triangle. Tapping into the near-field using an aperture type scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM) opens a window on a rich variety of optical patterns resulting from the local excitation of antenna modes of different order with even and odd parity. Numerical analysis of the antenna and SNOM probe interaction shows how the near-field patterns reveal the node positions of – and allows us to distinguish between – cavity and whispering gallery modes. As such, this study contributes to a richer and deeper characterization of the structure of light in confined nanosystems, and their impact on the structuring of the light fields they generate.

Subwavelength probing of surface plasmons in magnetoplasmonic crystals

In this work, we report on near-field studying of propagating surface plasmons (SPs) in one-dimensional magnetoplasmonic crystals (MPCs) by aperture type scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM). Optical near-field around the aperture probe is used to drive SPs in the MPC locally. The SNOM signal represents the scattered intensity caused by the interaction of the SNOM probe near-field with the MPC. Scanning the MPC surface with polarization resolving of the scattered radiation shows decreasing of the intensity due to the SP excitation. The observed polarization dependence of the scattered SNOM signal is associated with the selective coupling of the near-field components of the SNOM probe with SPs. Finite-difference time-domain simulations reproduce the experimental SNOM signal. It is shown the excitation of SPs with symmetric (even parity) field distribution, which is forbidden for plane wave source at normal incidence.

Far-Infrared Near-Field Optical Imaging and Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy of Laser-Crystallized and -Amorphized Phase Change Material Ge3Sb2Te6.

Chalcogenide phase change materials reversibly switch between non-volatile states with vastly different optical properties, enabling novel active nanophotonic devices. However, a fundamental understanding of their laser-switching behavior is lacking and the resulting local optical properties are unclear at the nanoscale. Here, we combine infrared scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) to investigate four states of laser-switched Ge3Sb2Te6 (as-deposited amorphous, crystallized, reamorphized, and recrystallized) with nanometer lateral resolution. We find SNOM to be especially sensitive to differences between crystalline and amorphous states, while KPFM has higher sensitivity to changes introduced by melt-quenching. Using illumination from a free-electron laser, we use the higher sensitivity to free charge carriers of far-infrared (THz) SNOM compared to mid-infrared SNOM and find evidence that the local conductivity of crystalline states depends on the switching process. This insight into the local switching of optical properties is essential for developing active nanophotonic devices.

Quantification of electron accumulation at grain boundaries in perovskite polycrystalline films by correlative infrared-spectroscopic nanoimaging and Kelvin probe force microscopy

Organic–inorganic halide perovskites are emerging materials for photovoltaic applications with certified power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) over 25%. Generally, the microstructures of the perovskite materials are critical to the performances of PCEs. However, the role of the nanometer-sized grain boundaries (GBs) that universally existing in polycrystalline perovskite films could be benign or detrimental to solar cell performance, still remains controversial. Thus, nanometer-resolved quantification of charge carrier distribution to elucidate the role of GBs is highly desirable. Here, we employ correlative infrared-spectroscopic nanoimaging by the scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy with 20 nm spatial resolution and Kelvin probe force microscopy to quantify the density of electrons accumulated at the GBs in perovskite polycrystalline thin films. It is found that the electron accumulations are enhanced at the GBs and the electron density is increased from 6 × 1019 cm−3 in the dark to 8 × 1019 cm−3 under 10 min illumination with 532 nm light. Our results reveal that the electron accumulations are enhanced at the GBs especially under light illumination, featuring downward band bending toward the GBs, which would assist in electron-hole separation and thus be benign to the solar cell performance.Correlative infrared-spectroscopic nanoimaging by the scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy quantitatively reveal the accumulated electrons at GBs in perovskite polycrystalline thin films.

Optical Fibre Micro/Nano Tips as Fluorescence-Based Sensors and Interrogation Probes

Optical fibre micro/nano tips (OFTs), defined here as tapered fibres with a waist diameter ranging from a few microns to tens of nanometres and different tip angles (i.e., from tens of degrees to fractions of degrees), represent extremely versatile tools that have attracted growing interest during these last decades in many areas of photonics. The field of applications can range from physical and chemical/biochemical sensing—also at the intracellular levels—to the development of near-field probes for microscope imaging (i.e., scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM)) and optical interrogation systems, up to optical devices for trapping and manipulating microparticles (i.e., optical tweezers). All these applications rely on the ability to fabricate OFTs, tailoring some of their features according to the requirements determined by the specific application. In this review, starting from a short overview of the main fabrication methods used for the realisation of these optical micro/nano structures, the focus will be concentrated on some of their intriguing applications such as the development of label-based chemical/biochemical sensors and the implementation of SNOM probes for interrogating optical devices, including whispering gallery mode microcavities.

Spin-resolved near-field scanning optical microscopy for mapping of the spin angular momentum distribution of focused beams

We proposed and built a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) to enable the characterization of the spin angular momentum (SAM) distribution of electromagnetic fields with nanoscale resolution. The NSOM probe was composed of a circular nanohole formed in a thick gold film that was deposited on a tapered cone fiber. The near-field signal, when coupled through the nanohole to the fiber, was split and analyzed using a combination of a quarter-wave plate and a polarizer to extract the two circular polarization components of the signal. This allowed us to characterize the out-of-plane SAM component, which was determined using the relationship Sz ∝ IRCP − ILCP. Using the developed system, we mapped the SAM distributions of a variety of tightly focused cylindrical vector vortex beams and thus validated the system's effectiveness. The proposed spin-resolved NSOM could be a valuable tool for studies of both near-field spin optics and topological photonics.

Surface plasmon coupled nano-probe for near field scanning optical microscopy.

Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) is a powerful tool for study of the nanoscale information of objects by measuring their near-field electric field distributions. The near-field probe, which determines NSOM system performance, can be either a scattering-type or an aperture-type. Both types have strengths and weaknesses. Here we propose and study a surface plasmon-coupled type nano-probe, which works as a hybrid scheme and could potentially combine the advantages of the two NSOM probe types. The key element of the proposed probe is a nanoparticle-on-film structure designed on a tapered fiber tip. On the one hand, the probe can yield the signals scattered in the near field by a nanoparticle with a scattering mechanism; on the other hand, the scattered signals can be transmitted by the metal film and coupled into the fiber via surface plasmon coupled emission, thus providing a collection mode similar to an aperture-type NSOM. This will lead to signal enhancement, while greatly suppressing background noise. This surface plasmon-coupled nano-probe thus has great potential for near-field optical microscopy applications.

Quantum theory of near-field optical imaging with rare-earth atomic clusters

Scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) using local active probes provides general images of the electric part of the photonic local density of states. However, certain atomic clusters can supply more information by simultaneously revealing both the magnetic and the electric local density of states in the optical range. For example, nanoparticles doped with rare-earth elements like europium or terbium provide both electric dipolar (ED) and magnetic dipolar (MD) transitions. In this theoretical paper, we develop a quantum description of active systems (rare-earth ions) coupled to a photonic nanostructure by solving the optical Bloch equations together with Maxwell’s equations. This approach allows us to access the population of the emitting energy levels for all atoms excited by the incident light, degenerated at the extremity of the tip of a near-field optical microscope. We show that it is possible to describe the collected light intensity due to ED and MD transitions in a scanning configuration. By carrying out simulations on different experimentally interesting systems, we demonstrate that our formalism can be of great value for the interpretation of experimental configurations, including various external parameters such as the laser intensity, the polarization and wavelength, the SNOM probe size, and the nature of the sample.

High external-efficiency nanofocusing for lens-free near-field optical nanoscopy

Efficient, broadband illumination and collection through a nanometre-sized hotspot carried by a scanning probe will endow light–matter interaction research with nanoscale spatial information. However, near-field scanning optical microscopy probes, particularly the high-resolution ones, demand cumbersome optics but can only concentrate less than 10−3 of the incident light, which has limited its applications. Here, we report a two-step sequential broadband nanofocusing technique with an external nanofocusing efficiency of ~50% over nearly all the visible range on a fibre-coupled nanowire scanning probe, which is capable of both light delivery and spectrum collection with nanoscale spatial resolution. By integrating this with a basic portable scanning tunnelling microscope, we have demonstrated lens-free tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and achieved 1 nm spatial resolution. The high performance and vast versatility offered by this fibre-based nanofocusing technique allow for the easy incorporation of nano-optical microscopy into various existing measurement platforms. A two-step sequential broadband nanofocusing technique offers an external efficiency of ~50% over nearly all the visible range on a fibre-coupled plasmonic nanowire probe. Its integration with a scanning tunnelling microscope realizes lens-free tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with 1 nm spatial resolution.

Fluorescence spectra of colloidal self-assembled CdSe nano-wire on substrate of porous Al2O3/Au nanoparticles**Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61741505 and 61865002), the Guizhou Provincial Science and Technology Support Plan, China (Grant No QKHZ [2017]2887), the Guiding Local Science and Technology Development Plan of the Central Government of China (Grant No. QKZYD [2017]4004), the Guizhou

We present a self-assembly method to prepare array nano-wires of colloidal CdSe quantum dots on a substrate of porous Al2O3 film modified by gold nanoparticles. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of nanowires are in situ measured by using a scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) probe tip with 100-nm aperture on the scanning near-field optical microscope. The results show that the binding sites from the edge of porous Al2O3 nanopores are combined with the carboxyl of CdSe quantum dots’ surface to form an array of CdSe nanowires in the process of losing background solvent because of the gold nanoparticles filling the nano-holes of porous Al2O3 film. Compared with the area of non-self-assembled nano-wire, the fluorescence on the Al2O3/Au/CdSe interface is significantly enhanced in the self-assembly nano-wire regions due to the electron transfer conductor effect of the gold nanoparticles’ surface. In addition, its full width at half maximum (FWHM) is also obviously widened. The method of enhancing fluorescence and energy transfer can widely be applied to photodetector, photocatalysis, optical display, optical sensing, and biomedical imaging, and so on.

Fabrication of probes for scanning near-field optical microscopy using focused ion beam

The results of an experimental study of the fabrication of probe tips for scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) using the focused ion beam (FIB) milling and ion beam induced deposition are presented. Methods of the FIB local milling and FIB-induced deposition of tungsten and carbon onto the tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM) probe are studied. In this work, a technique for the formation of AFM probes based on the use of a combination of ion-beam etching and ion-induced carbon deposition was developed. Based on the developed technique, several aperture probes for SNOM with an aperture diameter of 50, 150, and 200 nm, an apex height of about 20 nm, and a cone angle of about 35° were fabricated. The paper presents that the formation of SNOM probes by FIB-induced deposition allows creating a high efficiency tool for nanodiagnostics. The obtained results can be used to develop technological processes for the fabrication of specialized AFM probes and procedures for the express monitoring of technological process parameters in the manufacturing of the elements for micro- and nanoelectronics.