Scanning Near-Field Ellipsometry Microscopy: imaging nanomaterials with resolution below the diffraction limit.
We introduce a simple Scanning Near-Field Ellipsometer Microscopy (SNEM) setup to address the rapidly increasing need for simple, routine optical imaging techniques with resolution well below the diffraction limit. Our setup is based on the combination of commercially available atomic force microscope (AFM) and ellipsometry equipment with gold-coated AFM tips to obtain near-field optical images with a demonstrated resolution below λ/10. AFM topographical data, obtained in contact mode, and near-field optical data were acquired simultaneously using a combined AFM-ellipsometer. The highly enhanced field due to lightning-rod effects and localized surface plasmons excited at the end of the gold-coated tip allowed us to resolve and identify metallic nanoparticles embedded in poly(methyl methacrylate) as well as microphases in microphase-separated block copolymer films.
University of Twente, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology and Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Materials Science and Technology of Polymers, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE, Enschede, The Netherlands.
Davide
D
Tranchida
Jordi
J
Diaz
Peter
P
Schön
Holger
H
Schönherr
G Julius
GJ
Vancso
D006046:Gold / Q000737:chemistry; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry*; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000737:chemistry; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry
D012834:Silver; D006046:Gold; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate