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.
Institut Néel, CNRS and Université Joseph Fourier, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble, France.
A
A
Cuche
B
B
Masenelli
G
G
Ledoux
D
D
Amans
C
C
Dujardin
Y
Y
Sonnefraud
P
P
Mélinon
S
S
Huant