Issue 1, 2011

Scanning Near-Field EllipsometryMicroscopy: imaging nanomaterials with resolution below the diffraction limit

Abstract

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.

Graphical abstract: Scanning Near-Field Ellipsometry Microscopy: imaging nanomaterials with resolution below the diffraction limit

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Jul 2010
Accepted
27 Sep 2010
First published
01 Nov 2010

Nanoscale, 2011,3, 233-239

Scanning Near-Field Ellipsometry Microscopy: imaging nanomaterials with resolution below the diffraction limit

D. Tranchida, J. Diaz, P. Schön, H. Schönherr and G. J. Vancso, Nanoscale, 2011, 3, 233 DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00530D

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