UNIT 5

Near Field Scanning Optical

Microscopy

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 *

* Resolution
The resolution of an optical microscope is defined as the shortest distance between two points
on a specimen that can still be distinguished by the observer or camera system as separate
entities.
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 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE:

• 1928--- Near Field Method first proposed by Synge

• 1972--- Main features of Near- Field Microscope found by Ash & Nichols
(Scan surface with sub-wavelength apertures)
• 1982--- First NSOM in transmission mode by Pohl at IBM Zurich
• 1983--- First NSOM in transmission mode by Lewis et al.
• 1988--- NSOM in reflection mode by Fisher et al.

Near-field optics and related technologies had to wait many years due the
following reasons:

• Modern Nano-fabrication technology to make sub-wavelength size probe tip

• Control Probe tip with Nanometer reproducibility

• Image pictures by advanced signal processing*

*Image Interpretation: Specimen topography do not necessarily correspond directly to

the strength of sample probe interaction. It is necessary to have knowledge about
(1) Optical characteristics of specimen and probe-tip
(2) Method of light illumination
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 Different Systems:
Consider two atomic scale objects A
and B which are isolated as an
FAR electronic system
(a) FAR: If distance bet A and B are far
apart compared to wavelength of
incident light, Then interaction
Macroscopic System kl ≥1 between A and B is unidirectional

CLOSE (b) CLOSE: If distance between A & B is

Mesoscopic System
NEAR
Microscopic System
Characteristic parameter ‘kl’ where
‘k’ wave number of Incident light &
‘l’ is characteristic size of system
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very close like a tightly coupled state
like a molecular state, then
interaction between A and B is
kl < 0.01 described by “ Quantum
Electrodynamics”
(c) NEAR: If A and B placed at distance
shorter than wavelength of incident
light but far with respect to intrinsic
0.01 ≤ kl < 1
interactions, then the EM interaction
bet A and B not a single, scattered
light reflected back from B to A has
considerable effect on process.
∴ Optical properties (for e.g.
polarizability) of A depends on B
Conventional Optics
Total Internal Reflection
Perfect transmission

d=0

R= 1

Optical Tunneling
Frustrated total internal reflection

Far field intensity α 1/r

Near field intensity decays exponentially
d<λ
Evanescent field of Fresnel, first
demonstrated by Raman

Optical Tunneling is possible for oblique incidence for dielectric medium.

An interesting property of Optical tunneling is Polarization effects
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Comparison of Optical and Electronic Tunneling

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 Basic Building blocks of Near-Field Optical Systems

• Local Electromagnetic Interaction: Local short-range interaction between nm-sized

specimen and probe when they are very close

•Coupling to near field to far Field : Have to develop some coupling scheme for coupling
local event to some propagating field that extends to the light source and photodetector.

•Signal collection and transfer: To develop an extremely sensitive photodetection

system and isolate the source field from the detector field

•Production of a NOM image: Computer–aided 2D mapping of the signal for the

positions of the probe

•Interpretation of the image: Knowledge of theoretical aspects of the nature of the

interaction between the specimen and the probe tip as a function of the modulation of the
local field.

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 BASIC PRINCIPLE

Nearfield Scanning Optical

Microscopy (NSOM)
In NSOM a subwavelength (20 -
200 nm) aperture is placed in close
proximity to the surface to be
imaged (of the order of 10 nm).
Light passing through the aperture
remains collimated for a distance
of the order of one aperture
diameter. If the aperture is maintained in the near-field and scanned
over a sample surface, an image can be reconstructed point by point
with spatial resolution limited by the aperture diameter rather than the
wavelength of light.

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 NSOM Imaging modes
ILLUMINATION COLLECTION
ILLUMINATION
COLLECTION

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 Different Modes of NOM

Collection-Mode Illumination-Mode

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Schematic Illustration of Collection-mode

•Sample mounted on xyz piezo stage and probe is

Also mounted on a xyz stage.

*Light from Laser Diode (LD) of 680 nm

incident on sample at T.I.R.

•3-D optical field generated at sample surface and

part of the scattered light from sample collected by
the probe

•Contribution from planar background is avoided b’cauz

of Sub-wavelength dimensions of tip apex dia, foot dia
and sample size features

•A highly sensitive detector such as photomultiplier

tube is employed to get information about sample
Features

(Detected Power)
Typical Values : few nWatts- 100pWatts

•Highly phase sensitive detection possible by

Modulating light from LD

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Dr. Gargi Raina VIT 2011
Schematic illustration of Illumination-mode

•Sample mounted on xyz piezo stage

• Light from Laser (Ar ion laser) is coupled into the

fiber probe to illuminate sample

• Light from probe has both radiating far fields and

optical near fields. Ratio depends on strongly on probe
Characteristics viz. Apex dia & Foot dia, smaller values
Correspond to smaller radiating fields

• For effective detection by photomultiplier tube, use

objective lens with high Numerical aperture

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Comparison of different features between c-mode and i-mode

1.

2.

3.

4.

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5.

6.

7.

8.

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Dr. Gargi Raina VIT 2011
 c) Scanning near field optical lithography
Photooxidation of SAM

UV laser
254 nm

6 × 6 µm
LFM image of dodecanethiol lines written
inside a SAM of mercaptoundecanoic acid. The
thiol groups are oxidized to sulfonates by a 254
nm laser in air in a direct write method. The
oxidized products are replaced by another thiol
molecule.
Sun et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124,
Dr.2414
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Design of NSOM probe

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 TYPICAL FIBER PROBES
Only Apex interacts electromagnetically
with sample

Foot Diameter

Conventional Optical fiber is sharpened by chemical etching

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 A key technological advance was the
development of the tapered optical fiber probe by Betzig
and Trautman et. al. in 1991. Tapered optical fiber tips are
fabricated from single mode optical fiber using a
commercially available micro pipette puller with a focused
carbon dioxide laser as the heat source. The aperture is
formed by coating the tapered fiber with a high reflectivity
metal (Al or Ag) via standard thermal
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SNOM probe preparation

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 AFM vs. STM vs. NSOM
In all three resolution is largely dependent on
probe size and the ability to control scanning.

STM requires a conductive specimen, AFM

and NSOM do not and both of these can be
used in air, vacuum, or in liquids.

AFM physically contact the specimen but

STM and NSOM do not.

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Dr. Gargi Raina VIT 2011
 NSOM Theory: Optical image formation

Consider a plane wave E incident on a transverse plane (x, y, 0) propagating in the

positive z direction. The 2-dimensional Fourier transform of the electric field in the
plane of the object (x, y, 0) is:

(1)

where fx and fy are spatial frequencies

Thus, can be written as the inverse Fourier transform of its frequency spectrum:

(2)

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 Similarly (as in eqn 2), the electric field for z>0 is given by:

(3)

In homogeneous, isotropic and linear media the E field has to satisfy the Helmholtz equation
Applying this equation to eqn 3, we have:

(4)

∴The electric field for z>0

(5)

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Two cases can be distinguished

The argument of the exponential function in equation (4) is imaginary,

corresponding to a wave that propagates in the z direction towards the
observation plane.

The argument of the exponential function in the equation (6) is real.

As a consequence, the amplitude of the wave decreases
exponentially in the z direction.

(6)

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Dr. Gargi Raina VIT 2011
Dr. Gargi Raina VIT 2011