Role of the probe quadrupole moment in apertureless near-field optical microscopy

A theory of an apertureless scanning near-field optical microscope is developed that takes into account the quadrupole moment of the probe in forming the near field and the scattered wave in the far-field zone. It is shown that the quadrupole moment can lead to a change in the conditions for the resonant coupling of the probe tip with the sample surface, as well as to the appearance of additional resonances in the frequency dependence of the response of a near-field microscope. The theory developed is found to be in good agreement with known experimental data in the region of resonant tip—sample coupling.     

Enhanced light confinement in a near-field optical probe with a triangular aperture

We present a probe concept for scanning near-field optical microscopy combining the excellent background suppression of aperture probes with the superior light confinement of apertureless probes. A triangular aperture at the tip of a tetrahedral waveguide (full taper angle approximately 90 degrees ) shows a strong field enhancement at only one rim when illuminated with light of suitable polarization. Compared to a circular aperture of equivalent size, the resolution capability is doubled without loss of brightness. For a approximately 60 nm sized triangular aperture, we measured an optical resolution <40 nm and a transmission of approximately 10(-4).     

Splitting and focusing of light with metal nano-slits coated with nonlinear Kerr medium

<正>We demonstrate that a finite number of nano-slits can realize beam splitting and focusing of light by coating the metallic film surfaces with nonlinear Kerr medium.The numerical simulation shows that the beam splitting and focusing can be controlled by the incident light intensity.The splitting angle is quasiperiodically modulated by the incident light intensity,and the focusing length of forward propagating transmitted light decreases as the incident light intensity increases.These effects are explained by the surface plasmon polariton Bloch modes and self-focusing theory.     

Interaction of terahertz electromagnetic radiation with a probe-object system in a terahertz apertureless near-field microscope

The mechanism of the interaction of coherent terahertz radiation with a probe-nanoobject system has been experimentally investigated in a terahertz apertureless near-field microscope. It has been found that the type of the material of a sample under the probe, as well as the geometry of the probe, determines the form of the dependence of the differential signal of the terahertz field on the distance between the probe and sample. The amplitude of the modulation of the probe height significantly affects the spectral composition of the differential terahertz signal, which is directly related to the amplitude and phase of a terahertz wave scattered by the probe-nanoobject system.     

Recovering of the apertureless scanning near-field optical microscopy signal through a lock-in detection

To enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and to remove the spatially slowly varying signals, a lock-in amplifier is often used in apertureless scanning near-field optical microscopy (ASNOM). The detected signals are therefore the Fourier harmonics of the signal along a vertical vibration of the probe and depend drastically on the vibration amplitude. All the Fourier harmonics contain contributions of the ‘near field’ and the ‘far field’ that are mixed in the near-field zone (i.e. at very short distance). Therefore, physical interpretation of contrast in high-harmonics records may be questionable. A more accurate approach consists in using all the harmonics of lock-in demodulation to reconstruct the ASNOM signal above nanoparticles. We show that the reconstructed and the detected signals can strongly differ and that the reconstructed signal must be computed from the lock-in harmonics and the dc term in order to give a physical interpretation of the phenomenon. PACS 07.79.Fc; 42.30.Wb; 42.30.Va     

Identification of unknown experimental parameters from noisy apertureless scanning near-field optical microscope data with an evolutionary procedure

We determine a set of experimental parameters through the application of an evolutionary inversion procedure. The input to the algorithm is experimental apertureless scanning near-field optical microscope data. The performance of our inversion procedure is assessed by means of a comparison with a nonevolutionary technique.     

Observation of nanometer-scale optical property discrimination by use of a near-field scanning apertureless microscope

We examine fundamental issues related to discriminating structural and optical features in near-field scanning apertureless microscopy. We report a series of controlled experiments with nanosphere-sized standard spheres in which we observed significant differences in resolution and structure between an atomic-force microscope image and a simultaneously acquired near-field optical (NFO) image. Further, in experiments that employed a mix of dyed and undyed nanospheres we found that we can observe differences in the same NFO image for adjacent nanospheres. Therefore we conclude that near-field scanning apertureless microscopy not only meets the criteria for a NFO image but also is capable of measuring optical properties below the diffraction limit. The two-point resolution was at least 200 nm when we were detecting optical phase and 50 nm when we were detecting optical intensity. The edge response was typically 15 nm, and the minimum observable features were of the order of 3 nm.     

带金属尖四棱锥小孔光探针光斑近场分布数值模拟

采用时域有限差分法(FDTD)研究了带金属尖四棱锥小孔光探针光斑近场分布特性,分析了金属尖的长度、尖端半径及距离小孔位置等因素对近场电场分布的影响.讨论了该类光探针的电磁波通过等离子体激元方式从小孔传输到金属尖的机理.Taminiau等人用不同方法获得的计算结果在本文的计算结果中得到了印证.在此基础上,本文重点分析、讨论了Pohl等人在1984—1986年获得20—25nm高分辨率图像的原由,讨论了该实验系统的成像机理和类型的归属.计算结果表明:Pohl等人的实验系统成像机理已离开小孔径扫描近场光学显微镜类型,报告认为应归属金属尖散射扫描近场光学显微镜一类.本结果对设计性能优良的光探针具有参考意义.     

Characterization of strong electromagnetic field confinement on gold nanostructures by apertureless scanning near-field optical microscopy

We report on the detection of the optical near field of a 1D gold particle array by using an apertureless scanning near-field optical microscope. The strong near-field confinement measured above the grating proves unambiguously the near-field origin of the detected optical signal. Comparing the experiment with theory leads us to assign the optical near field to the first diffracted order of the grating, which is evanescent.     

Near-field and far-field modeling of scattered surface waves. Application to the apertureless scanning near-field optical microscopy

The detection of surface waves through scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) is a promising technique for thermal measurements at very small scales. Recent studies have shown that electromagnetic waves, in the vicinity of a scattering structure such as an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip, can be scattered from near to far-field and thus detected. In the present work, a model based on the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method and the near-field to far-field (NFTFF) transformation for electromagnetic waves propagation is presented. This model has been validated by studying the electromagnetic field of a dipole in vacuum and close to a dielectric substrate. Then simulations for a tetrahedral tip close to an interface are presented and discussed.     

Field enhancement analysis of an apertureless near field scanning optical microscope probe with finite element method

Plasmonic field enhancement in a fully coated dielectric near field scanning optical microscope (NSOM)probe under radial polarization illumination is analyzed using an axially symmetric three-dimensional (3D)finite element method (FEM) model. The enhancement factor strongly depends on the illumination spot size, taper angle of the probe, and the metal film thickness. The tolerance of the alignment angle is investigated. Probe designs with different metal coatings and their enhancement performance are studied as well. The nanometric spot size at the tip apex and high field enhancement of the apertureless NSOM probe have important potential application in semiconductor metrology.     

Sensitivity analysis of scanning near-field optical microscope probe

In this paper, we study the dynamic modes of a scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM) which uses an optical fiber probe; and the sensitivity of flexural and axial vibration modes for the probe were derived and the closed-form expressions were obtained. According to the analysis, as expected each mode has a different sensitivity and the first mode is the most sensitive mode of flexural and axial vibration for the SNOM probe. The sensitivities of both flexural and axial modes are greater for a material surface that is compliant with the cantilever probe. As the contact stiffness increases, the high-order vibration modes are more sensitive than the lower-order modes. Furthermore, the axial contact stiffness has a significant effect on the sensitivity of the SNOM probe, and this should be noted when designing new cantilever probes.     

A spherical-wave source based on a probe for a near-field microscope

A new type of a spherical-wave source for precise interferometry based on a fiber probe for a nearfield microscope is proposed. Data on distortions of generated wavefronts are reported. For the optical numerical aperture NA = 0.24, the root-mean-square distortions do not exceed λ/2000.     

A new positioning approach of fiber probe for near-field scanning optical microscope

A fiber probe-based positioning scan approach was established, whose precision can reach as high as 0.8 μm. And a set of modified microscope system was designed utilizing this approach, in which the scanning probe microscope (SPM) combined with an optical microscope was manipulated. The optical microscope and scanning probe can conveniently be switched through a switch panel. The observation period of samples can significantly be shortened. And more reliable images can be provided using this approach. Our design can effectively solve the inherent disadvantages of SPM technology, which makes SPM scan and image more reliably, conveniently, safely and rapidly.     

Nano-optical image and probe in a scanning near-field optical microscope

We study a nanometer-sized optical probe and image in a scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM). We demonstrated the potential to observe 5-nm wide optical patterns using the SNOM. The probe profile was measured by using a knife-edge method and a modulated transfer function evaluation method. An aluminum covered and pipet-pulled fiber probe used here has two optical probes, one which has a large diameter of 350 nm and one which has a small diameter of around 10 nm.     

影响近场光纤探针传输效率的若干因素

近场光学技术在高分辨率成像、光谱探测和纳米加工等领域有广泛应用,而光纤探针是其中一个关键部件.如何提高光纤探针的传输效率是近场光学技术应用中的一个重要问题.本文采用三维时域有限差分方法,计算了锥形有孔探针的传输效率,分析了锥角、针尖孔径、波长和金属层厚度等因素对光纤探针传输效率的影响,并比较了裸光纤探针和有金属涂层的光...