Near-field optical microscopy with a nanodiamond-based single-photon tip.
We introduce a point-like scanning single-photon source that operates at room temperature and offers an exceptional photostability (no blinking, no bleaching). This is obtained by grafting in a controlled way a diamond nanocrystal (size around 20 nm) with single nitrogen-vacancy color-center occupancy at the apex of an optical probe. As an application, we image metallic nanostructures in the near-field, thereby achieving a near-field scanning single-photon microscopy working at room temperature on the long term. Our work may be of importance to various emerging fields of nanoscience where an accurate positioning of a quantum emitter is required such as for example quantum plasmonics.
Cuche
Aurélien
A
Institut Néel, CNRS and Université Joseph Fourier, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble, France.
Drezet
Aurélien
A
Sonnefraud
Yannick
Y
Faklaris
Orestis
O
Treussart
François
F
Roch
Jean-François
JF
Huant
Serge
S
D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D018130:Diamond / Q000737:chemistry*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D020527:Microscopy, Scanning Probe / Q000295:instrumentation*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010316:Particle Size; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014159:Transducers
D018130:Diamond