Near-Field Scanning Optical

Microscopy
Gabriell A. Guardiola
Ernesto Quiones
Jesus

Nanosized Probe

Optical detectors are generally installed in the farfield

Collection of information contained in the near

field is made possible by scanning subwavelength
probe in the near-field within a few nanometers
above the sample surface.

Probe transfers the near-field at the probes

location into the far-field towards the detector.

(foto articulo 2, pag 45, figura 3)

Aperture

Most aperture NSOMs use optical fiber tips to

guide light.

They are usually metal coated with the

extremity of the tip etched away with a focus
ion beam (FIB).

(imagen, articulo #2, pag 46, figura 5)

Aperture

Only a region of the surface will receive light due

to the confinement of the electromagnetic field in
the vicinity of the aperture.

The nanoobjects on the surface transformed the

evanescent fields into propagating ones.

Image is produced with a resolution determined

by the diameter of the aperture and its distance
to the sample surface.

(Imagen, articulo #3, pag 22, fig 1 (a) )

Aperture

The most commonly employed mechanisms of

fiber tip positioning in an aperture NSOM:

similar to those used for the positioning of AFM

cantilevers, and
tuning fork technique based on shear force
detection.

(imagen, articulo #2, pag 46, figura 6)

Aperture

The fiber tip can be used either as a local source or as

a local detector.

This minute light source can be used to excite single

organic molecules, quantum wells, quantum wires and
quantum dots.

Under incident polarized light, the polarization of the

electric field also varies in a predictable way as a
function of the position with respect to the aperture.

(imagen, aticulo #2, pag 47, figura 7)

Apertureless

Relies on the fact that a subwavelength particle

in an electromagnetic field behaves as a dipole
which radiates a field linearly related to the one
which is at the location of the dipole.

In practice, one uses the metallic tip of an AFM

which extremity plays the role of a local
scatterer which can be scanned in the near
field.

(imagen, articulo #2, pag 47, figura 9)

Apertureless

At infrared frequencies, the field concentrated

at the tip apex can excite optical phonons in
polar crystals.

This allows one to characterize nanostructures

and nanocomposite materials.

(imagen, articulo #2, pag 48, figure 11)

Aperture vs. Apertureless

Aperture

Apertureless

Resolution (10-100nm)

Resolution (1-20nm)

The tip can be used as local

source/detector.

Scatter light requires no guiding

medium to propagate towards detector.

Background signal.

Absence of background signal.