Nano Scale Optics with

Nearfield Scanning Optical

Microscopy (NSOM)
 Presentation Overview

†Motivation for nearfield optics

†Introduction to NSOM
†What is NSOM today?
†What can you do with NSOM?

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 “And God said, `Let there
Motivation of NFO be light,' and there was
light. God saw that the light
was good, and he separated
the light from the
darkness.” Genesis 1:3,4
† Diffraction imposes a natural limit to available ‘resolution’
with conventional optics.
„ ‘Best’ microscopes can obtain ~ 250nm resolution: confocal microscopy
† Oscillating Dipole:
1 ⎛ 1 ik k 2 ⎞
Eθ = ⎜ 3 − 2 − ⎟ sin θ pz (t )e
ikr

4πε r ⎝ r r r ⎠
1 ⎛ 2 2ik ⎞
Er = ⎜ − ⎟ cos θ p (t ) e ikr

4πε r ⎝ r 3 r 2 ⎠
z

† To probe the ‘nearfield’ – require to be within 100 nm of object

† The nearfield scanning optical microscope was developed as
the device to do this.
ECE 695S November 2, 2006 3
Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Presentation Overview

†Motivation for nearfield optics

†Introduction to NSOM
†What is NSOM today?
†What can you do with NSOM?

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 NSOM Instrumentation / Idea

http://www.physics.ncsu.edu/optics/nsom/NSOMintro.html Nanonics Imaging Ltd

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 History of NSOM

† Conception of an instrument
„ E.H. Synge, "A suggested method for extending the
microscopic resolution into the ultramicroscopic region," Phil.
Mag. 6, 356 (1928).
„ E.H. Synge, "An application of piezoelectricity to
microscopy," Phil. Mag. 13, 297 (1932).

† Proof of Concept with microwaves

„ E.A. Ash and G Nichols, Nature 237, 510 (1972).

† Experiments in the visible

„ D.W. Pohl, W. Denk, and M. Lanz, APL 44, 651-3 (1984).
„ A. Lewis, M. Isaacson, A. Harootunian, and A. Murray,
Ultramicroscopy 13, 227 (1984).

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Synge’s original proposal

† required fabrication of a 10-nanometer aperture (much

smaller than the light wavelength) in an opaque screen
† A specimen was scanned very close to the aperture
† As long as the specimen remained within a distance less
than the aperture diameter, an image with a resolution of
10 nanometers could be generated.
† Technical difficulties to overcome:
„ fabricating the minute aperture
„ achieving a sufficiently intense light source
„ specimen positioning at the nanometer scale
„ maintaining the aperture in close proximity to the
specimen

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Implementation in Microwave region

http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/techniques/nearfield/nearfieldintro.html

† Microwaves with a wavelength of 3 cm

† Aperture diameter of 1.5 mm
† Probe scanned over a metal grating with periodic line
features
† 0.5 mm gaps and lines were resolvable
† Subwavelength resolution of ~ 1/16 lambda

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Optical Implementation

† The IBM researchers employed a metal-coated

quartz crystal probe on which an aperture was
fabricated at the tip, and designated the
technique scanning near-field optical
microscopy (SNOM).
† The Cornell group used electron-beam
lithography to create apertures, smaller than 50
nanometers, in silicon and metal.
† The IBM team was able to claim the highest
optical resolution of 25 nanometers, or one-
twentieth of the 488-nanometer radiation
wavelength, utilizing a test specimen consisting
of a fine metal line grating.
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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 NSOM modes of Operation

http://www.physics.ncsu.edu/optics/nsom/NSOMintro.html

† Illumination by the tip is probably the easiest to interpret, and gives

the most signal. It requires a transparent sample, so can’t always
be used.
† Reflection modes give less light, and are more dependent on the
details of the probe tip, but allow one to study opaque samples.
† The illumination/collection mode provides a complement to the
reflection modes, but the signal contains a large background from
the light reflected without ever making it out of the probe tip. (This
is removed by oscillating the tip vertically and measuring the signal
at that frequency.)
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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 NSOM modes of Operation

PSTM
Apertureless NSOM (Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscopy)

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Comparison to far-field microscopy

† Two fundamental differences between

near-field and far-field (conventional)
optical microscopy:
„ In NF microscopy the NF interaction region
at a single instant is much smaller than the
FF interaction area for conventional
microscopy
„ NF microscopy has a subwavelength
distance between the radiation source and
the sample while FF microscopy has a
much larger distance

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Limitations of near-field optical
microsopy

† Practically zero working distance and an

extremely small depth of field.
† Extremely long scan times for high resolution
images or large specimen areas.
† Very low transmissivity of apertures smaller
than the incident light wavelength.
† Only features at the surface of specimens can
be studied.
† Fiber optic probes are somewhat problematic
for imaging soft materials due to their high
spring constants, especially in shear-force
mode

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Presentation Overview

†Motivation for nearfield optics

†Introduction to NSOM
†What is NSOM today?
†What can you do with NSOM?

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 NSOM Today: Similar to Standard
Scanning Probe Microscopy with an
Optical Channel
† Mechanical
„ Translation stage, piezoelectric scanner
„ Feedback Control (Z distance)
„ Anti-vibration optical table
† Electrical
„ Scanning drivers for piezoelectric scanner
„ z distance control
„ Amplifiers, Signal processors
„ Software and Computer
† Optical
„ Light source (lasers), Fiber, Mirrors, Lenses, Objectives
„ Photon detectors (Photon Multiplier Tube, Avalanche Photo
Diode, Charge Coupled Devices)
„ Probe to provide the window to the near-field

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Z Distance Control

† Shear force

† Normal force
Science, 257, 189-195 (1992).

Veeco Instruments Nanonics Imaging Ltd Witec GmbH

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 NSOM Probes

† Aperture type
„ Taped fiber, multiple-taped fiber
„ Cantilevered AFM/NSOM tips (Si3N4, SiO2)
„ Other kinds, such as tetrahedral tip, Fluorescent tip
„ Metal Coating Optional
† Apertureless type
„ Dielectrics, semiconductors or metals
„ Other kinds, such as nano-particle attached tip

Nanonics Imaging Ltd

Witec GmbH

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Probe Fabrication: Fiber probes

Lazarev, A., Rev. Sci. Inst., 74, 3679-3688 (2003).

http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/techniques/nearfield/nearfieldprobes.html

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Probe Fabrication:
Cantilevered probes

† Mircofabrication
† Rubbing
† Focus ion beam milling
† Special techniques, such as solid
electrolysis, self-terminated corrosion

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Mirco-fabrication: a batch process

App. Phy. Lett., 68, 3531-3533 (1996).

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Commercial NSOM:
Nanonics MultiView 2000

APD
Probe

Laser Scanner
Nanonics Imaging Ltd

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Commercial NSOM:
Witec ALphaSNOM

Cantilevered
probe

Aperture

Probe Mounting Witec GmbH

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Commercial NSOM:
Veeco Aurora3

System schematic

Fiber mounting

Feedback control Veeco Instruments

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Nanonics System at Purdue

† Nanonics MultiView 2000

† NSOM / AFM
† Tuning Fork Feedback
Control
„ Normal or Shear Force

† Aperture tips down to 50 nm

† AFM tips down to 30 nm
† Radiation Sources:
„ (532, 633, 785) nm
„ Supercontinuum 480-
1500+ nm
Nanonics Imaging Ltd

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 APD

To Piezoelectrics HV Source
Filter
Freq. Gen.
Obj. Lens
Upper Piezo Fiber Tip 532nm Source

Lock-In Detector

Lower Piezo
Tuning Fork PID Controller
Obj. Lens

Filter Computer

APD
Prof. Shalaev’s group Internal to Purdue

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Purdue Homemade NSOM
Developed from Commercial AFM

† Scanning: micro stages, piezoelectic

scanner and probe head
† Imaging: optics with video monitor,
white source and HeNe laser

System Setup

† Light detection: Photomultiplier tube

(PMT), photon counter
† Signal Processing: AutoProbe Electronic
Module (AEM), Proscan software

User Interface
Prof. Xianfan Xu’s group Internal to Purdue

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Schematic of Purdue
Home-made NSOM
Video Computer
Monitor CCD

Photon
BS PMT AEM
Counter

AFM/NSOM
White BS PSD Probe
Source

20× Diode Sample

Objective
Probe
Head Laser

HeNe Laser Prism

Z scanner
Scanner
X,Y scanner

Prof. Xianfan Xu’s group Internal to Purdue

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Presentation Overview

†Motivation for nearfield optics

†Introduction to NSOM
†What is NSOM today?
†What can you do with NSOM?

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 What Can you do with NSOM?

† Ultrahigh resolution OPTICAL Imaging /

Plamonic studies
† Spectroscopy
„ Nearfield Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy
„ Local Spectroscopy of Semiconductor Devices
„ Near-field Broadband Spectroscopy
† Modification of Surfaces
„ Subwavelength photolithography
„ Ultra High Density data storage
„ Laser Ablation
† Nearfield femtosecond studies

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 SEM
High Resolution
Optical Imaging
83 nm Optical resolution seen with “100” nm tip

AFM

Obj. Lens NSOM

Prof. Shalaev’s group Internal to Purdue

APD

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 NF Surface Enhanced Raman
Spectroscopy (SERS)
† What is Raman spectroscopy?
„ Incident light scattered by a molecule will scatter at
different wavelengths than the incident light. Measuring
the spectrum of such scattered light provides powerful a
“fingerprinting” technique for identification.
† What is surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)?
„ Typical Raman signals are rather weak. The
electromagnetic fields carrying the fingerprinting
information can be enhanced by many orders of
magnitude.
† Add in NSOM:
„ The addition of nearfield optics to such techniques
enables localization of illumination or collection of light.
This provides the means to detect trace amounts that
would otherwise be undetectable.

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Nearfield SERS of R6-G on a semi continuous metal film

Spectra
Spacing:
Spectrometer 470 nm

AFM #6 400 #8
250

C / 20 min.
200 300

150
200
100

50 100
600 800 1000 1200 1400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
500
Reflection 700
#14 #16
NSOM
C / 20 min.

400
500
300

300
200
600 800 1000 1200 1400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
Prof. Shalaev’s group Internal to Purdue 1 / cm 1 / cm

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 NF Spectroscopy:
Quantum Device

Science 264, 1740 (1994)

ECE 695S November 2, 2006 33

Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 NF Spectroscopy: Broadband
Tuning Fork (for feedback control)

Photonic Crystal Fibre with broadband output

Tapered Fibre Probe

Sample Scanning
YAG 1064 nm
xyz piezo stage

Objective Lens 100x 0.75NA

Si CCD
Spectrometer

Prof. Shalaev’s group Internal to Purdue

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Representative
NF Broadband Spectroscopy AFM
Local Transmittance
Laser Phys. Lett. 3, No. 1, 49–55 (2006)
Optics Letters, Vol.30, No.24, 3356 (2005)

Reference 500-950nm ‘integrated’

Spectrum Transmittance
2500

1800 90

Mapping 2000 1600 80

1900 nm
Function: 1400 70

60

distance (nm)
1200
1500

T (x,y,λ) =
Counts

1000 50

1000 633 SMF 800 40

30
probe with 600

I(x,y,λ)/Io(λ) 500
‘red’ Filter
400

200
20

10

500 1000 1500 2000

0
450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800 850 900 950 2400 nm
distance (nm)
WaveLength(nm)

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
Prof. Shalaev’s group Internal to Purdue
 500-525 g g 525-550g g 550-575g g 575-600g g 600-625
g g 625-650
g g

120
1400 1400 1400 1400 1400
110

1200 1200 1200 1200 1200

100

90
1000 1000 1000 1000 1000

distance (nm)

distance (nm)

distance (nm)

distance (nm)

distance (nm)
80
800 800 800 800 800
70

600 60 600 600 600 600

50
400 400 400 400 400

NF
40

200 30 200 200 200 200

200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800
distance (nm) distance (nm) distance (nm) distance (nm) distance (nm) distance (nm)
650-675 675-700 700-725 725-750 750-775 775-800
Broadband 1400
g g

120

110
1400
g g

1400
g g

1400
g g

1400
g g

1400
g g

imaging 1200

1000
100

90
1200

1000
1200

1000
1200

1000
1200

1000
1200

1000
distance (nm)

distance (nm)

distance (nm)

distance (nm)

distance (nm)
distance (nm)
80
800 800 800 800 800 800
70

600 60 600 600 600 600 600

50

Mode
400 400 400 400 400 400
40

200 30 200 200 200 200 200

200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800

Transition
distance (nm) distance (nm) distance (nm) distance (nm) distance (nm) distance (nm)
800-825
g g 825-850g g 850-875 g g 875-900
g g 900-925 g g 925-950
g g

120 1400 1400 1400

1400 1400 1400

as function 1200
110

100
1200 1200 1200 1200 1200
1500 nm

1000 90 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000

distance (nm)

distance (nm)

distance (nm)

distance (nm)
distance (nm)
distance (nm)

of
80
800 800 800 800 800 800
70

600 60 600 600 600 600 600

Wavelength
50
400 400 400 400 400 400
40

200 30 200 200 200 200 200

200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800 200 400 600 800
distance (nm) distance (nm) distance (nm) distance (nm) distance (nm) distance (nm)

ECE 695S 800 nm November 2, 2006 36

Nanoscale Optics with NSOM Prof. Shalaev’s group Internal to Purdue
 Subwavelength Photolithography

† Use NSOM to write patterns into a

photoresist
† Can use aperture NSOM in illumination
mode
† Can use apertureless NSOM utilizing
two photon absorption at the metallic tip

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Ultrahigh Density Data Storage

† Can use aperture NSOM

in illumination mode to
both write and read data
on magneto-optical
material
† When writing, probe heats
the medium under the
probe. The domain under
the write beam becomes
magnetized opposite of
the surrounding material.
† This varying domain of
Appl. Phys. Lett. 61, 142-144 (1992)
magnetization can then be
read using the same
probe, but with a lower
output power.
ECE 695S November 2, 2006 38
Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Nearfield femtosecond studies

† Pump – Probe techniques

„ NSOM allows this technique to
employ spatial localization to
measure carrier dynamics.
(eg – in semiconductor Rev. Sci. Inst. 70, 2758 (1999)

devices)
† Localized laser ablation
„ Currently in use for photomask
repair
„ Nanolithography
J. Microscopy 194, 537 (1999)

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Other things done with NSOM

† Fluorescent spectrum studies of

biological cells, molecules and DNA
† Atom trapping and Manipulation
† Local probing of luminescent devices
† Low temperature NSOM
† Surface plasmon / Local field
enhancement

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM
 Recap – Nearfield Scanning Optical
Microscopy (NSOM)
† NSOM is a relatively new technology that defeats the diffraction limit for optical
measurements. Utilizes the near field portion of electromagnetism to window
down to ~ 10 nm spatial resolution.
† NSOM instrumentation has progressively developed over the past 15 years, to the
point where several different basic techniques are available as commercial
instruments
† The principles of NSOM are very much in play within the research community. It
has many different applications ranging from biological studies to nanofabrication.
† Up to Date Near-Field Optics Research
„ NSOM Conference: NFO9 http://www.nfo9.org/
‡ September 2006, look for conference proceedings in the Journal of
Microscopy, 2007
† Quick and Easy Resources
„ Review Articles:
‡ R.C. Dunn. Chemical Reviews, 99 (1999) 2891.
‡ B. Hecht, B. Sick, U.P. Wild, V. Deckert, R. Zenobi, O.J.F. Martin, and D.W. Pohl.
Journal of Chemical Physics, 112 (2000) 7761.
„ Website: Olympus Microscopy (nearfield section)
‡ http://www.olympusmicro.com/primer/techniques/nearfield/nearfieldhome.html

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Nanoscale Optics with NSOM