Determination of the spatial extension of the surface-plasmon evanescent field of a silver film with a photon scanning tunneling microscope.

A photon scanning tunneling microscope is employed to probe the surface-plasmon field in the evanes- cent region of a silver film for p (parallel to the plane of incidence) and s (perpendicular to the plane of incidence) polarizations of the light beam at several angles of incidence near the critical angle. The in- teraction between the field and the probe is measured and compared to theoretical calculations involving a single four-media model. A systematic analysis of images obtained for several positions of the optical fiber above the film is presented and it is shown that, for tip-to-sample distances smaller than half the wavelength of the incoming light, the collected intensity curves a…

Reproducible optical fiber tips for photon scanning tunneling microscopy with very small (>5°) cone angle

Sharp optical fiber tips for photon scanning tunneling microscopes (PSTMs) have been fabricated by employing a new alternative technique for etching multimode optical fibers. The tip diameter is less than 30 mm, while the cone full-angle can be as sharp as 3/spl deg/. To the knowledge of the authors, such tips are the sharpest reported up to now. Measurements, with 19 tips, of the evanescent wave decay distance produced by frustrated reflection of light on a same sample, show good reproducibility. Furthermore, the PSTM images, taken with the new tips, are very sharp and fit with images of the same sample obtained with an atomic force microscope (AFM).

Surface plasmon polariton propagation across a gentle silver step

Abstract Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are excited with light of wavelength λ1=632.8 nm on or near a gentle Ag/Ag step structure using focused beam, prism coupling and detected using a bare, sharpened fibre tip. The tip–sample separation is controlled by means of an evanescent optical field at wavelength λ2=543.5 nm in a photon scanning tunnelling microscope (PSTM). The SPP propagation properties are first characterised on both the thin and thick sections of the Ag film structure either side of the step, both macroscopically, using attenuated total reflection, and microscopically from the PSTM images; the two techniques yield very good agreement. It is found that the SPP propagation len…

Optical addressing at the subwavelength scale

The Green dyadic formalism is applied to the study of the optical properties of dielectric subwavelength structures integrated in coplanar geometry. We first consider homogeneous wires with high refractive index featuring subwavelength cross sections. We show that such wires may have guiding properties and that they may be coupled with a local illumination produced by a focused Gaussian beam totally reflected at the substrate interface. When excited by the focused beam, these subwavelength optical waveguides (SOW's) provide a confined source of light that could be used to excite a single nanoscopic object. Well designed heteregeneous wires resulting from the alignment of dielectric particle…

Surface plasmon polariton propagation length: A direct comparison using photon scanning tunneling microscopy and attenuated total reflection

The propagation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPP's) is studied using a photon scanning tunneling microscope (PSTM) and conventional attenuated total reflection (ATR). The PSTM experiment uses localized (focused beam) launching of SPP's at a wavelength of 632.8 nm. Propagation of the SPP is observed as an exponentially decaying tail beyond the launch site and the $1/e$ propagation length is measured directly for a series of Ag films of different thicknesses. The ATR measurements are used to characterize the thin film optical and thickness parameters, revealing, notably, the presence of a contaminating adlayer of ${\mathrm{Ag}}_{2}\mathrm{S}$ of typical dielectric function, $8.7+i2.7,$ and …

Kerr and Faraday Rotations of Magneto-Optical Multilayers under the Condition of Total Internal Reflection

Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Reflection Scanning Microscopy

The Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope (PSTM) is the photon analogue to the Electron Scanning Tunneling Microscope (ESTM). It uses the evanescent field due to the total internal reflection (TIR) of a light beam in a prism modulated by a sample attached to the prism. The exponential decay of the evanescent field is characterized by the penetration depth dp and depends on the angle of incidence θ, the wavelength and polarization of the incident beam. Changes in intensity are monitored by a probe tip scanned over the surface, and the data are processed to generate an image of the sample. Images produced by a prototype instrument are shown to have a vertical resolution of about 3 A and a late…

First images obtained in the near infrared spectrum with the photon scanning tunneling microscope

Abstract First images obtained in the near infrared spectrum with a photon scanning tunneling microscope are presented. The intensity of the light collected by the fibertip, at λ = 1.3 λm , which is a function of the separation between the tip and the sample surface is in agreement with that predicted by the theory. Images of quartz and silicon oxide are presented and the latter is compared with that obtained by an atomic force microscope.

Squeezing the Optical Near-Field Zone by Plasmon Coupling of Metallic Nanoparticles

We report on the experimental observation of near-field optical effects close to Au nanoparticles using a photon scanning tunneling microscope (PSTM). Constant height operation of the PSTM allowed an unprecedented direct comparison with theoretical computations of the distribution of the optical near-field intensity. An unexpected squeezing of the optical near field due to plasmon coupling was observed above a chain of Au nanoparticles.

Optical Near-Field Properties of Lithographically Designed Metallic Nanoparticles

ABSTRACTWe report on the experimental observation of localized surface plasmons sustained by small metallic particles using a photon scanning tunneling microscope (PSTM). The surface plasmons are excited in gold nanostructures tailored by electron beam lithography. The constant height operation of the PSTM allowed a direct comparison with theoretical computations of the distribution of the optical near-field intensity. Plasmon coupling above a chain of Au particles and electromagnetic energy transfer from a resonantly excited nanoparticle to a nanowire are demonstrated. Our experimental results appear to be in good agreement with theoretical computations based on the Green's Dyadic Techniqu…

Resolution of the photon scanning tunneling microscope: influence of physical parameters

Abstract The photon scanning tunneling microscope (PSTM) is the photon analogue of the electron scanning tunneling microscope (ESTM). It uses the evanescent field due to total internal reflection (TIR) of a light beam in a prism modulated by a sample placed on the base of the prism. Our experimental results shown details which present a lateral size as small as 200 A. The PSTM axial resolution is more difficult to evaluate. It is a function of the roughness of the sample. For very smooth samples, images shown an axial resolution of about 10 A. At last we discuss how both lateral and axial resolution can be affected by several parameters such as the tip surface distance and the roughness of …

Near-field observation of surface plasmon polariton propagation on thin metal stripes

International audience; We use a photon scanning tunneling microscope to probe the field of surface plasmon polariton modes excited on finite-width thin metal films (metal stripes). We first investigate the coupling between surface plasmons launched by a focused beam on a homogeneous thin film and the modes sustained by metal stripes of different widths. We show that. if the width of the metal stripe is about a few micrometers, a strong coupling with the stripe modes can be achieved at visible frequencies. A sharp transverse confinement of the field associated with the surface plasmon modes propagating on the metal stripe is unambiguously observed on the constant height photon scanning tunn…

Magneto-optical effects in multilayers illuminated by total internal reflection

This paper describes the magneto-optical effects of metallic multilayers under the condition of total internal reflection. In the framework of Green’s dyadic technique, we detail a practical and at time-consuming scheme to compute accurately the optical properties of anisotropic multilayers deposited on a substrate. We present numerical simulations which account for the variation of the angle of incidence at a fixed wavelength and for the variation of the wavelength at fixed angle of incidence. The Kerr rotation is found to increase significantly around the critical angle for total reflection. We also discuss the importance of plasmon effects in the structure of the Kerr rotation spectra. @…

A simple low-cost highly reproducible method of fabricating optical fiber tips for a photon scanning tunneling microscope

Progress in the interpretation of near-field optics

International audience

Analysis of photon-scanning tunneling microscope images of inhomogeneous samples: determination of the local refractive index of channel waveguides

Channel waveguides are imaged by a photon-scanning tunneling microscope (PSTM). The polarization of the light and its orientation with respect to the guide axis are shown to be very important parameters in the analysis of the images of such samples. We simulated image formation for the plane of incidence parallel to the axis of the guide. Our theoretical results are qualitatively in agreement with our measurements. These results show the ability of the PSTM to give information about the local refractive-index variations of a sample.

An Evanescent Field Optical Microscope

We present a new form of optical microscope. An evanescent field is produced in the lower index medium of an ATR system and modulated by a sample deposited on the hypotenuse of the prism. A sharpened fiber optic probes this field and gives information about the topography of the surface.

Direct observation of localized surface plasmon coupling

We report on the direct observation of localized surface plasmon coupling using a photon scanning tunneling microscope. The surface plasmons are excited in gold nanostructures tailored by electron beam lithography. Electromagnetic energy transfer from a resonantly excited nanoparticle to a nanowire, which is not directly excited by the incident light is observed. Our experimental results appear to be in good agreement with theoretical computations based on Green's dyadic technique.

Characterization of optogeometric parameters of optical fibers by near-field scanning probe microscopies

The combination of atomic-force and scanning-near-field optical microscopies is useful for characterizing the physical and optical parameters of optoelectronic devices. With a commercial atomic-force microscope adapted to perform scanning-near-field optical measurements, we succeed in determining core diameters, localizing the erbium doping zone, and analyzing propagation modes in erbium-doped and multimodal optical fibers.

Optimized factor of merit of the magneto-optical Kerr effect of ferromagnetic thin films

This paper deals with the optimization of the factor of merit of the magneto-optical Kerr effect of a resonant multilayer cavity including a ferromagnetic film. This optimization is of interest in the context of optical storage technology. Using numerical simulations based on the Green's dyadic technique, we discuss a route to obtain magneto-optical multilayers with a vanishing ellipticity and factors of merit (with respect to the bulk magnetic material) larger than 3 on a broad range of wavelengths, significantly higher than the actual state of the art.

Imaging of test quartz gratings with a photon scanning tunneling microscope Experiment and theory

We use the differential formalism of the electromagnetic theory of gratings to interpret the images of test sinusoidal or lamellar quartz gratings obtained with a photon scanning tunneling microscope. The period of the grating is 0.5 μm, and the height of the rule is 0.2 μm. It is shown that the images depend strongly on several parameters, such as polarization or angle of incidence, with respect to the ruling direction. A systematic study of the isointensity lines above the gratings as a function of polarization is presented, and it is shown that the image contrast can be increased or decreased depending on the sample–probe distance. To model the interaction of the fiber probe with the ele…

Direct interpretation of near-field optical images.

The interpretation of the detection process in near-field optical microscopy is reviewed on the basis of a discussion about the possibility of establishing direct comparisons between experimental images and the solutions of Maxwell equations or the electromagnetic local density of states. On the basis of simple physical arguments, it is expected that the solutions of Maxwell equations should agree with images obtained by collecting mode near-field microscopes, while the electromagnetic local density of states should be considered to provide a practical interpretation of illumination mode near-field microscopes. We review collecting mode near-field microscope images where the conditions to o…

Etude et étalonnage des déplacements d'un tube piézoélectrique utilisé dans le systeme de balayage d'un microscope à effet tunnel

Computation of near field diffraction by a dielectric grating: a comparison with experiments

We use an eigenmode method to compute the near field diffracted by one-dimensional dielectric gratings. We present a set of easily programmable recurrence relations that give the diffracted field from the incident one. The numerical results are compared with the experimental images obtained with the Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope (PSTM).

Review of the basic methods for characterizing integrated-optic waveguides

Abstract This article presents a short review of the various methods of characterizing integrated-optic waveguides. It is intended to acquaint researchers, particularly beginners in this field, with the principles of some of the widely used techniques of characterizing one-dimensional (planar) and two-dimensional (such as channel or rib) waueguides.

Reflection scanning microscopy.

To image nontransparent samples we have utilized a special type of scanning-probe microscope that is referred to here as a reflection scanning microscope. The reflection scanning microscope provides a method for producing a scanned point light source as well as a system for collecting the light that is reflected by the sample. The system, which uses an optical fiber coupler, is easily installed on an existing photon scanning tunneling microscope. A calculation of the coupling coefficient between the natural propagation mode of the optical fiber and the light that is reflected by the sample is presented along with a comparison between calculated and measured values of the intensity of the li…

Characterization of single-mode graded-index fibers: A new method based on transverse offset splice loss

A method of characterization has been proposed for single-mode graded-index fibers using knowledge of the power transmission coefficient at the splice as a function of transverse offset. The method utilizes an analytical expression for the power transmission coefficient based on a highly accurate variational approximation for the LP01 mode developed earlier. The method accurately predicts the profile shape parameter and the normalized frequency of the fiber. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Recent Experimental Results with the PSTM: - Observation of a Step on a Quartz Surface. - Spatial Spectroscopy of Microwaveguides

The Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope (PSTM) is based on the frustration of the total internal reflected beam by the end of an optical fiber. Till today it has been used to obtain topographic information generally for smooth samples. In this paper we report two different kinds of experimental results. First, when the sample is in the form of a step, our measurements demonstrate how the images, obtained in the constant intensity mode, depend on the orientation of the incident beam of light with respect to the step. Next, we show that the first derivative of the collected intensity with respect to the probe-sample distance at each point of the sample yields to a new kind of image named her…

Sample–tip coupling efficiencies of the photon-scanning tunneling microscope

The photon-scanning tunneling microscope is the photon analog to the electron-scanning tunneling microscope. It uses the evanescent field due to the total internal reflection of a light beam in a prism, modulated by a sample attached to the prism. The exponential decay of the evanescent field is characterized by the penetration depth dp and depends on the angle of incidence θ, the wavelength, and the polarization of the incident beam. The 1/e decay lengths range from 150 to 265 nm as deduced from the expression of the electric-field intensity in the rarer medium for θ = π/2. If we place another optically transparent medium near the surface, frustrated total reflection occurs. It is shown th…

Computation of the field diffracted by a local surface defect: application to tip–sample interaction in the photon scanning tunneling microscope

We use a method based on the Fourier transform of the electromagnetic field to compute the field diffracted by a local deformation of a plane boundary surface. We give a complete development of each step of the technique. To show the interaction that exists between the probe of a near-field optical microscope and the observed sample, we use the model of a truncated cone-shaped tip above a rectangular surface defect. We compute the electrical intensity along a line located between the tip and the local surface defect. We show the influence of the polarization of the incident wave and the effect of the position of the tip with respect to the position of the surface defect.

Analysis of image formation with a photon scanning tunneling microscope

International audience; The photon scanning tunneling microscope (PSTM) is based on the frustration of a total internal reflected beam by the end of an optical fiber. Until now it has been used to obtain topographic information, generally for smooth samples. We report theoretical as well as experimental results on the observation of a step on a quartz substrate with the PSTM. These results demonstrate the effects on image formation of the distance between the fiber tip and the sample surface, the orientation of the incident beam with respect to the step, the polarization, and the coherence of the light. Good agreement exists between numerical simulations and experiments. We show that a pert…