Near-Field Plasmon-Resonance Scanning Microscopy

In the past few years the field of near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) has developed rapidly with applications spanning all the physical sciences. A key goal of this form of microscopy is to obtain resolution at levels well beyond those possible with the usual far-field optics. In contrast to far-field optics, which is bounded by the well known limits imposed by diffraction, near-field optics has no "in principle" fundamental lower limit in lateral size, at least down to atomic dimensions, although in practice, signal-to-noise considerations may restrict the application of NSOM to a few nanometers.The simplest form of NSOM to visualize is based on the principle of a sub-wavelength aperture (with D/λ < < 1) in an opaque plane. Light impinging on this aperture may only be transmitted through the diameter D, and, indeed, were it observed in the far-field, would be spread out over the entire half space due to diffraction. However, if the sample to be studied is placed in the near-field of the aperture, say within a distance D away, the region illuminated will also be restricted to a lateral dimension very close to D.

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Attaboy! Attoboys, or the new Zeptoscopists

Microscopy Today ◽

10.1017/s1551929500069029 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 1 (8) ◽

pp. 2-3 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jean-Paul Revel

Keyword(s):

Optical Microscopy ◽

Near Field ◽

Scanning Force Microscopy ◽

Scanning Tunneling ◽

Far Field ◽

Force Microscopy ◽

Near Field Optics ◽

Scanning Force ◽

Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽

Near Field Scanning

As the year ends there is a bumper crop of announcements of advances that I find absolutely amazing. First of course is the continued clever use of light as a veritable tool in manipulating everything from atoms (entrapping them in “atomic molasses”) to having tugs of war with biological motors (using “light tweezers”). But these developments will be for discussion another time. What I want to talk about in this installment are advances in Near Field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM), which has now been used by Chichester and Betzig to visualize single molecules.In classical (far field) optics, resolution is limited by diffraction to about 1/2 the wavelength of the radiation used for imaging. Near field optics overcome this limitation by use of scanning techniques similar to those employed in Scanning Tunneling or Scanning Force Microscopy.

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Laser Micro-Machining Using Near-Field Nano-Optics

Manufacturing Engineering and Materials Handling Engineering ◽

10.1115/imece2004-60615 ◽

2004 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Haseung Chung ◽

Katsuo Kurabayashi ◽

Suman Das

Keyword(s):

Data Storage ◽

Near Field ◽

Numerical Aperture ◽

Near Field Optics ◽

Incident Laser Power ◽

Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽

Near Field Effect ◽

Near Field Scanning ◽

Feature Resolution ◽

Sub Wavelength

Solid immersion lenses (SIL) facilitate high numerical aperture (NA) and consequent sub-wavelength diffraction limited focusing in near-field optics based systems. Such systems are in commercial and research use for various applications including near-field scanning optical microscopy, ultra-high density magneto-optic data storage and near-field nanolithography. Here, we present a novel nanomanufacturing method using SIL-based near-field optics for laser-induced sub-micron patterning on silicon wafers. The near-field effect of SILs was investigated by using hemispherical BK7 lenses (n=1.5196, NA=0.9237) to superfocus an incident Q-switched, 532nm Nd:YAG laser beam transmitted through a focusing objective. This optical arrangement achieved a laser-processed feature resolution near the diffraction limit in air. Results of experiments that were conducted at various processing conditions to investigate the effects of varying incident laser power (with average pulse power less than 1W), pulse repetition rate, pulse width, number of pulses and size of SIL on processed feature size and resolution are presented.

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Near‐field scanning optical microscopy in reflection: A study of far‐field collection geometry effects

Review of Scientific Instruments ◽

10.1063/1.1147073 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 67 (8) ◽

pp. 2924-2929 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Kenneth D. Weston ◽

Jessie A. DeAro ◽

Steven K. Buratto

Keyword(s):

Optical Microscopy ◽

Near Field ◽

Far Field ◽

Field Collection ◽

Geometry Effects ◽

Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽

Near Field Scanning

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Near-field scanning optical microscopy local luminescence studies of rhodamine dye

Open Physics ◽

10.2478/s11534-009-0109-6 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Petr Klapetek ◽

Juraj Bujdák ◽

Jiří Buršík

Keyword(s):

Time Domain ◽

Near Field ◽

Optical Microscope ◽

Far Field ◽

Luminescence Signal ◽

Local Topography ◽

Field Radiation ◽

Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽

Rhodamine Dye ◽

Near Field Scanning

AbstractThis article presents results of near-field scanning optical microscope measurement of local luminescence of rhodamine 3B intercalated in montmorillonite samples. We focus on how local topography affects both the excitation and luminescence signals and resulting optical artifacts. The Finite Difference in Time Domain method (FDTD) is used to model the electromagnetic field distribution of the full tip-sample geometry including far-field radiation. Even complex problems like localized luminescence can be simulated computationally using FDTD and these simulations can be used to separate the luminescence signal from topographic artifacts.

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Near-field microscopy of membrane domains

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100140269 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 778-779

Author(s):

J. Hwang ◽

E. Betzig ◽

M. Edidin

Keyword(s):

Cell Surface ◽

Fluorescent Proteins ◽

Near Field ◽

Far Field ◽

Membrane Domains ◽

Fluorescent Cell ◽

Optical Fiber Probe ◽

Surface Fluorescence ◽

Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽

Near Field Scanning

Results from several different methods for probing the lateral organization of cell surface membranes indicate that these membranes are patchy, divided into domains. The data suggest that on average these domains are 0.1-1 μm across and that they persist for 10’s to 1000’s of seconds. At least some domains in this size range, when labeled by fluorescent proteins or lipids ought to be detectable by conventional, far-field, fluorescence microscopy. However, though some images are consistent with a domain structure for membranes, most far-field images of fluorescent cell surfaces lack the detail necessary to define domains.We have used near-field scanning optical microscopy, NSOM, of fluorescent-labeled cells to visualize membrane patchiness on the nanometer scale. This method yields images with resolutions of 50 nm or less. In our near-field microscope the labeled sample is illuminated by a optical fiber probe, with an aperture of 50-80nm. The probe is scanned over the cell surface at a distance of ˜ 10 nm from the surface. Only surface fluorescence is excited by the scanned probe.

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Progress in near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM)

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100104248 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 436-437

Author(s):

E. Betzig ◽

M. Isaacson ◽

H. Barshatzky ◽

K. Lin ◽

A. Lewis

Keyword(s):

Optical Microscopy ◽

Near Field ◽

Visible Region ◽

Optical Microscope ◽

Scanning Tunneling ◽

Far Field ◽

Tunneling Microscopy ◽

Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽

Near Field Scanning ◽

Scanning Electron

The concept of near field scanning optical microscopy was first described more than thirty years ago1 almost two decades before the validity of the technique was verified experimentally for electromagnetic radiation of 3cm wavelength.2 The extension of the method to the visible region of the spectrum took another decade since it required the development of micropositioning and aperture fabrication on a scale five orders of magnitude smaller than that used for the microwave experiments. Since initial reports on near field optical imaging8-6, there has been a growing effort by ourselves6 and other groups7 to extend the technology and develop the near field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) into a useful tool to complement conventional (i.e., far field) scanning optical microscopy (SOM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning tunneling microscopy. In the context of this symposium on “Microscopy Without Lenses”, NSOM can be thought of as an addition to the exploding field of scanned tip microscopy although we did not originally conceive it as such.

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Time-Spectral based Polarization-Encoding for Spatial-Temporal Super-Resolved NSOM Readout

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-49721-w ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Matityahu Karelits ◽

Yaakov Mandelbaum ◽

Zeev Zalevsky ◽

Avi Karsenty

Keyword(s):

Finite Elements ◽

Schottky Diode ◽

Near Field ◽

Evanescent Waves ◽

The Past ◽

Enhanced Resolution ◽

Polarization Encoding ◽

Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽

New Generation ◽

Near Field Scanning

Abstract Detection of evanescent waves through Near-field Scanning Optical Microscopy (NSOM) has been simulated in the past, using Finite Elements Method (FEM) and 2D advanced simulations of a silicon Schottky diode, shaped as a truncated trapezoid photodetector, and sharing a subwavelength pin hole aperture. Towards enhanced resolution and next applications, the study of polarization’s influence was added to the scanning. The detector has been horizontally shifted across a vertically oriented Gaussian beam while several E-field modes, are projected on the top of the device. Both electrical and electro-optical simulations have been conducted. These results are promising towards the fabrication of a new generation of photodetector devices which can serve for Time-Spectral based Polarization-Encoding for Spatial-Temporal Super-Resolved NSOM Readout, as developed in the study.

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Near-field scanning optical microscopy

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100144644 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 44 ◽

pp. 642-643

Author(s):

E. Betzig ◽

A. Harootunian ◽

M. Isaacson ◽

A. Lewis

Keyword(s):

Near Field ◽

Optical Microscope ◽

Visible Radiation ◽

Field Methods ◽

Optical Elements ◽

Optical Region ◽

Order Of Magnitude ◽

Nondestructive Imaging ◽

Scanning Optical Microscopy ◽

Near Field Scanning

In general, conventional methods of optical imaging are limited in spatial resolution by either the wavelength of the radiation used or by the aberrations of the optical elements. This is true whether one uses a scanning probe or a fixed beam method. The reason for the wavelength limit of resolution is due to the far field methods of producing or detecting the radiation. If one resorts to restricting our probes to the near field optical region, then the possibility exists of obtaining spatial resolutions more than an order of magnitude smaller than the optical wavelength of the radiation used. In this paper, we will describe the principles underlying such "near field" imaging and present some preliminary results from a near field scanning optical microscope (NS0M) that uses visible radiation and is capable of resolutions comparable to an SEM. The advantage of such a technique is the possibility of completely nondestructive imaging in air at spatial resolutions of about 50nm.

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