Fabrication and characterization of fluorescent rare-earth-doped glass-particle-based tips for near-field optical imaging applications

Applied Optics
L AigouyEric Bourhis

Abstract

Fluorescent rare-earth-doped glass particles glued to the end of an atomic force microscope tip have been used to perform scanning near-field optical measurements on nanostructured samples. The fixation procedure of the fluorescent fragment at the end of the tip is described in detail. The procedure consists of depositing a thin adhesive layer on the tip. Then a tip approach is performed on a fragment that remains stuck near the tip extremity. To displace the particle and position it at the very end of the tip, a nanomanipulation is achieved by use of a second tip mounted on piezoelectric scanners. Afterward, the particle size is reduced by focused ion beam milling. These particles exhibit a strong green luminescence where excited in the near infrared by an upconversion mechanism. Images obtained near a metallic edge show a lateral resolution in the 180-200-nm range. Images we obtained by measuring the light scattered by 250-nm holes show a resolution well below 100 nm. This phenomenon can be explained by a local excitation of the particle and by the nonlinear nature of the excitation.

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Citations

Apr 5, 2011·The Review of Scientific Instruments·Lionel AigouyChristian Bergaud
Sep 4, 2007·The Review of Scientific Instruments·Tetsuo KanIsao Shimoyama
Dec 16, 2010·Analytical Sciences : the International Journal of the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry·Yasuyuki TsuboiNoboru Kitamura
Mar 10, 2011·Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal·Y JiaY Xu
Jan 1, 2011·Journal of Materials Chemistry·Christian F GainerMarek Romanowski

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