Fluorescent oxide nanoparticles adapted to active tips for near-field optics.
We present a new kind of fluorescent oxide nanoparticle (NP) with properties well suited to active-tip based near-field optics. These particles with an average diameter in the 5-10 nm range are produced by low energy cluster beam deposition (LECBD) from a YAG:Ce3+ target. They are studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), cathodoluminescence, near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) and fluorescence in the photon-counting mode. Particles of extreme photo-stability as small as 10 nm in size are observed. These emitters are validated as building blocks of active NSOM tips by coating a standard optical tip with a 10 nm thick layer of YAG:Ce3+ particles directly in the LECBD reactor and by subsequently performing NSOM imaging of test surfaces.
Cuche
A
A
Institut Néel, CNRS and Université Joseph Fourier, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble, France.
Masenelli
B
B
Ledoux
G
G
Amans
D
D
Dujardin
C
C
Sonnefraud
Y
Y
Mélinon
P
P
Huant
S
S