Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope Research Articles

Surface plasmon propagation imaging by a photon scanning tunneling microscope

This paper describes the first direct observation of surface plasmon propagation on a metallic thin film deposited on a glass slide, thus facilitating the first direct measurement of the propagation length. This was achieved using photon scanning tunneling microscopy (PSTM). Subsequently, near-field observations of the surface plasmon buried at the metal-glass interface, generated from a discontinuity in the metallic thin film, were reported.

Giant optical field enhancement in multi-dielectric stacks by photon scanning tunneling microscopy

Dielectric optical thin films, as opposed to metallic, have been very sparsely explored as good candidates for absorption-based optical field enhancement. In such materials, the low imaginary part of the refractive index implies that absorption processes are usually not predominant. This leads to dielectric-based optical resonances mainly via waveguiding modes. We show here that when properly designed, a multi-layered dielectric thin films stack can give rise to optical resonances linked to total absorption. We report here, on such dielectric stack designed to possess a theoretical optical field enhancement above 1000. Using photon scanning tunneling microscopy, we experimentally evaluate the resulting field enhancement of the stack as well as the associated penetration depth. We thus demonstrate the capability of multi-dielectric stacks in generating giant optical field with tunable penetration depth (down to few dozens of nm).

Imaging of surface plasmon polariton interference using phase-sensitive photon scanning tunneling microscope

We report the surface plasmon polariton interference, generated via a ‘buried’ gold grating, and imaged using a phase-sensitive Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope (PSTM). The phase-resolved PSTM measurement unravels the complex surface plasmon polariton interference fields at the gold-air interface.

Innovative Measurement Techniques in Surface Science

We describe four new experimental techniques advanced during the last decade in the authors' laboratory. The techniques include photon scanning tunneling microscopy; aberration-corrected low-energy electron microscopy in combination with photoelectron emission microscopy, microcalorimetry, and electron-spin resonance spectroscopy. It is demonstrated how those techniques may be applied to solve fundamental problems in surface science with growing demands to tackle complex nanoscopic systems, and, in particular in catalysis science, which, without the availability of those techniques, would be difficult if not impossible to address.

Near-field scanning optical microscopy using polymethylmethacrylate optical fiber probes

We report the first use of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) optical fiber-made probes for scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM). The sharp tips were prepared by chemical etching of the fibers in ethyl acetate, and the probes were prepared by proper gluing of sharpened fibers onto the tuning fork in the conditions of the double resonance (working frequency of a tuning fork coincides with the resonance frequency of dithering of the free-standing part of the fiber) reported earlier for the case of glass fibers. Quality factors of the probes in the range 2000–6000 were obtained, which enables the realization of an excellent topographical resolution including state-of-art imaging of single DNA molecules. Near-field optical performance of the microscope is illustrated by the Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope images of fluorescent beads with a diameter of 100 nm. The preparation of these plastic fiber probes proved to be easy, needs no hazardous material and/or procedures, and typical lifetime of a probe essentially exceeds that characteristic for the glass fiber probe.

Transversal mode and thermal analysis of an InP laser diode by near-field scanning probe microscopies

Optical mode and thermal analysis of an indium phosphide (InP) laser diode using photon scanning tunneling microscopy (PSTM) combined with atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques are performed for industrial development. Different laser diodes emitting at λ=0.98 μm and λ=1.55 μm differentiated by the InP areas doped n or p are characterized. AFM/PSTM analysis provides space localization of the optical modes, identification of doping agents, analysis of the modal structure of the emitting laser diode active area, measurement of losses, and control of the morphology of optical components. The results are corroborated by lateral force imaging.

Nanoimprint Lithography for Nanophotonics in Silicon

A novel inverse imprinting procedure for nanolithography is presented which offers a transfer accuracy and feature definition that is comparable to state-of-the-art nanofabrication techniques. We illustrate the fabrication quality of a demanding nanophotonic structure: a photonic crystal waveguide. Local examination using photon scanning tunneling microscopy (PSTM) shows that the resulting nanophotonic structures have excellent guiding properties at wavelengths in the telecommunications range, which indicates a high quality of the local structure and the overall periodicity.

Numerical simulations of global approach for photon scanning tunneling microscopy: coupling of finite-element and boundary integral methods

An accurate global model is proposed for a two-dimensional probe-sample system of photon scanning tunneling microscopy in near-field optics. A coupling of a finite-element method in the inhomogeneous sample and a boundary integral method on the artificial boundary of the truncated domain is developed. Numerical experiments are included to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method and to show the features of wave propagation in photon scanning tunneling microscopy.

Property of Image-Object Using TE/TM-polarized Wave in the Near-Field Optics with CCGM-FFT

Discretization of the Lippmann–Schwinger integral equation with complex conjugate gradient method and fast Fourier transform (CCGM-FFT) is solved, which can reduce the memory storage and the CPU time compared with the traditional method, MOM. Thus objects with large size and multiple scattering objects could be simulated with CCGM-FFT. The total intensity and the distribution of each field component of the dielectric and metallic objects under the excitation of the TE/TM-polarized wave are calculated with photon scanning tunnelling microscopy (PSTM) at the constant height. The simulating results are analysed and explained reasonably. The results show that the polarization plays an important role for imaging of PSTM.

Near-field observation of spatial phase shifts associated with Goos-Hänschen and Surface Plasmon Resonance effects

We report the near-field observation of the phase shifts associated with total internal reflection on a glass-air interface and surface plasmon resonance on a glass-gold-air system. The phase of the evanescent waves on glass and gold surfaces, as a function of incident angle, is measured using a phase-sensitive Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope (PSTM) and shows a good agreement with theory.

Near-field study with a photon scanning tunneling microscope: Comparison between dielectric nanostructure and metallic nanostructure

Scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) integrates standard optical methods with scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques allowing to collect optical information with resolution well beyond the diffraction limit. We study the influence on image formation of several parameters in scanning near-field microscopy. The numerical calculations have been carried out using the differential method. We investigate a 2D-PSTM configuration with a dielectric rectangular object. We will focus on the collection type SNOM in a constant height scanning mode. Various oscillation patterns are observed from both sides of the nanostructure, which we interpret as interference between the diffracted waves scattered by the nanostructure (with the components of the wave vector parallel to the surface) and the evanescent incident wave above the surface. Using an optical near-field analysis and by calculating the electric field intensity distribution, we investigate the probe–sample distance effect. It is found that the distribution of the intensity related to the electric field is depending on sample–probe distance. We noticed the loss of details in the image and the presence of dramatic oscillations. Also, both of the polarization state of the illuminating light effect and the angle of incidence are investigated. We conclude that a differential method provides physical insight into the main features of the different images.

Numerical solution of inverse scattering for near-field optics

A novel regularized recursive linearization method is developed for a two-dimensional inverse medium scattering problem that arises in near-field optics, which reconstructs the scatterer of an inhomogeneous medium located on a substrate from data accessible through photon scanning tunneling microscopy experiments. Based on multiple frequency scattering data, the method starts from the Born approximation corresponding to weak scattering at a low frequency, and each update is obtained by continuation on the wavenumber from solutions of one forward problem and one adjoint problem of the Helmholtz equation.

Submicrometer In-Plane Integrated Surface Plasmon Cavities

The optical properties of in-plane integrated surface plasmon polariton (SPP) cavities comprised of a thin film area sandwiched between two one-dimensional Bragg SPP mirrors are investigated numerically and experimentally. We discuss the resonance condition of these cavities, and we analyze in details the physical origin of the dispersion of this resonance. On the basis of numerical results, we show that in-plane SPP cavities can be used to achieve local SPP field enhancement and antireflecting SPP layers. The numerical results are compared to near-field optical images recorded by operating a photon scanning tunneling microscope. From the near-field images recorded over cavities with different sizes at different frequencies, we verify the resonance condition obtained numerically and we measure the quality factor of a submicrometer in-plane integrated SPP cavity.

Theoretical Near-Field Optical Properties of Branched Plasmonic Nanoparticle Networks

Extended branched networks of single-nanoparticle chains have recently been self-assembled from colloidal suspensions. In particular, gold nanoparticle linear chains and complex chain networks have revealed unique signatures of plasmon modes in their extinction spectra. In this Letter, we investigate theoretically their near-field optical properties and show that a real space mapping of these modes can be achieved with a photon scanning tunneling microscope setup. A distinct subwavelength patterning of the optical near-field gives rise to well-resolved photon scanning tunneling microscope images that can be used to identify the network segments able to efficiently carry optical energy.

Review of near-field optical microscopy

This review has introduced a new near-field optical microscope (NOM)—atomic force microscope combined with photon scanning tunneling microscope (AF / PSTM). During scanning, AF/PSTM could get two optical images of refractive index image and transmissivity image, and two AFM images of topography image and phase image. A reflected near-field optical microscope (AF/RSNOM) has also been developed on AF/PSTM platform. The NOM has been reviewed in this paper and the comparison between AF/PSTM & RSNOM and the commercial A-SNOM & RNOM has also been discussed. The functions of AF/PSTM & RSNOM are much better than A-SNOM & RNOM.

A study of a differential method for a field diffracted by a rough surface

Since more than one decade, a new generation of microscopes was developed. It is about near field microscopes. Among these devices, we are interested in the PSTM (Photon Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy). Images obtained by this instrument do not reflect, with a better resolution, the topography of the studied samples. In order to improve the performance of this apparatus, several models have been developed. In our case, we propose to retake, by using a differential method, the study of a rough surface. The surface is modelled as two pavements of different sizes and refractive indices. Theoretically, the obtained results agree well with results obtained for a surface having submicronic asperities and subsurface structures found in literature.

Surface plasmon mediated near-field imaging and optical addressing in nanoscience

We present an overview of recent progress in “plasmonics”. We focus our study on the observation and excitation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) with optical near-field microscopy. We discuss in particular recent applications of photon scanning tunnelling microscope (PSTM) for imaging of SPP propagating in metal and dielectric wave guides. We show how near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) can be used to optically and actively address remote nano objects such as quantum dots. Additionally we compare results obtained with near-field microcopy to those obtained with other optical far-field methods of analysis such as leakage radiation microscopy (LRM).

Surface plasmon routing along right angle bent metal strips

An efficient routing of surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) is of fundamental importance in the development of SPP-based photonics. This paper reports that microgratings acting as Bragg mirrors can guide SPP along metal stripes waveguides featuring 90° bents. The measurement of the mirrors efficiency, performed by means of photon scanning tunneling microscopy, shows that bent losses as low as 1.9dB can be achieved. Finally, we demonstrate operating SPP beamsplitters obtained by an appropriate design of the Bragg mirrors constituting elements.

Creating Focused Plasmons by Noncollinear Phasematching on Functional Gratings

We report on the concept, generation, and first observations of focused surface plasmons on shaped gratings. The grating patterns are designed to realize focusing and directing through noncollinear phasematching. The plasmons are generated on patterned gold surfaces, and the plasmon propagation is observed using phase-sensitive photon scanning tunneling microscopy (PSTM) to extract the propagation pattern, direction, and wavelength.

Observation of Scattered Evanescent Waves

Spatial resolution in the conventional optical microscopy depends on diffraction limit. Photon scanning tunneling microscopy is one of the microscopic methods that surpass the diffraction limit. It scans an object with detecting evanescent wave on object surface. Evanescent wave is scattered by the tip of a fiber probe and guided to a detector by the fiber probe. Not all of the scattered ray can be detected. Only the scattered ray from the aperture of a fiber probe can be detected. We propose to improve an image by detecting the state of scattered ray and a new method to maintain the probe sample distance constant by keeping the quantity of scattered ray constant.