6533b824fe1ef96bd1280c0c
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Apertureless scanning near-field optical microscopy: a comparison between homodyne and heterodyne approaches
Renaud BachelotRenaud BachelotGilles LerondelGary P. WiederrechtSylvain BlaizeAlexandre BouhelierAlexandre BouhelierMiguel CastroFeng HuaShih-hui ChangLewis Mortimer GomezStephen GraySeokwoo JeonPascal RoyerIlan StefanonJohn A. Rogerssubject
HeterodyneImage formationPhase (waves)Near and far fieldOptical fields02 engineering and technologyInterference (wave propagation)Total internal reflection01 natural sciencesDestructive interference010309 opticsOptics0103 physical sciences[SPI.NANO]Engineering Sciences [physics]/Micro and nanotechnologies/MicroelectronicsPhysicsTotal internal reflectionNear field opticsbusiness.industryTapered fibersNear-field opticsScanning microscopyStatistical and Nonlinear Physics021001 nanoscience & nanotechnologyAtomic and Molecular Physics and OpticsInterferometryImage formation theory[SPI.OPTI]Engineering Sciences [physics]/Optics / Photonic0210 nano-technologybusinessScanning electron microscopydescription
International audience; In coherent homodyne apertureless scanning near-field optical microscopy (ASNOM) the background field cannot be fully suppressed because of the interference between the different collected fields, making the images difficult to interpret. We show that implementing the heterodyne version of ASNOM allows one to overcome this issue. We present a comparison between homodyne and heterodyne ASNOM through near-field analysis of gold nanowells, integrated waveguides, and a single evanescent wave generated by total internal reflection. The heterodyne approach allows for the control of the interferometric effect with the background light. In particular, the undesirable background is shown to be replaced by a controlled reference field. As a result, near-field information undetectable by a homodyne ASNOM is extracted by use of the heterodyne approach. Additionally, it is shown that field amplitude and field phase can be detected separately.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-05-01 |