Open AccessOffset-apertured near-field scanning optical microscope probes
Author(s) -
Michael C. Quong,
A. Y. Elezzabi
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.15.010163
Subject(s) - optics , near field scanning optical microscope , surface plasmon , materials science , optical microscope , full width at half maximum , near and far field , near field optics , offset (computer science) , microscope , aperture (computer memory) , microscopy , nanophotonics , plasmon , physics , scanning electron microscope , computer science , acoustics , programming language
Near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) probe designs consisting of a subwavelength aperture offset of either a metallic or metal-coated dielectric cantilevered tip are investigated using finite-difference time-domain calculations. The offset aperture and metal-coated dielectric tip couple surface plasmons that illuminate the tip apex, which results in a single-lobed probing optical spot having a full-width half maximum (FWHM) similar to the apex diameter. Since the surface plasmons converge at the apex, an offset-apertured probe promises significantly higher throughput light intensities than an apertured NSOM having a comparable spot FWHM.