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On SNOM Resolution Improvement

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Photonic Crystals: Physics and Technology

Abstract

Spatial transversal resolution of scanning near-field optical microscopes depends on the distance between a sample and the aperture of a tip and aperture diameter. When the tip aperture — sample distance is kept constant due to the shear-force tuning fork technique then the detectable amount of light passing through the probe decides on the smallest aperture diameter. Energy throughput is limited by the aperture diameter which is smaller than the cut-off diameter D = 0.6λ/n of modes guided in a tapered fibre. Beyond the cut-off the propagation vector becomes imaginary and only evanescent waves reach the orifice. In simulations using the finite-difference time-domain method we develop a concept of enhanced light transmission through tapered-fibre metal-coated corrugated tips. Corrugation of the interface between the fibre core and metal coating, which is structured into parallel grooves of different profiles curved inward the core, introduces efficient photon-plasmon coupling. Corrugated tips may lead to better than 20 nm SNOM resolution.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 7, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland

    Tomasz J. Antosiewicz & Tomasz Szoplik

  2. Department of Transmission and Optical Technologies, National Institute of Telecommunications, Szachowa 1, 04-894, Warsaw, Poland

    Marian Marciniak

Authors
  1. Tomasz J. Antosiewicz
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  2. Marian Marciniak
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  3. Tomasz Szoplik
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Energetica, Università di Roma „La Sapienza“, 00161, Roma, Italy

    Concita Sibilia

  2. George Green Institute for Electromagnetics Research, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

    Trevor M. Benson

  3. Department of Transmission and Optical Technologies, National Institute of Telecommunications, Szachowa 1, 04-894, Warsaw, Poland

    Marian Marciniak

  4. Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, Pasteura 7, 02-093, Warsaw, Poland

    Tomasz Szoplik

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Antosiewicz, T.J., Marciniak, M., Szoplik, T. (2008). On SNOM Resolution Improvement. In: Sibilia, C., Benson, T.M., Marciniak, M., Szoplik, T. (eds) Photonic Crystals: Physics and Technology. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0844-1_12

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