Our apertureless near-field technology enables visible, infrared and even terahertz imaging and spectroscopy with a spatial resolution of 10nm

The spatial resolution of conventional optical microscopes is limited by diffraction to about half the wavelength (Abbe diffraction limit). Neaspec broke the diffraction limit by developing a groundbreaking  apertureless near-field microscopy technique (also known as scattering-type Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy, s-SNOM) and integrated it into the recently introduced NeaSNOM microscope. This new technology completely dispenses with the legacy of the conventional aperture SNOMs struggling with fibers, apertures, custom probe fabrication and the associated shortcomings.

NeaSNOM employs standard metal-coated AFM probing tips, illuminated by a focused laser beam. Illuminated tips generate a nano-focus at their apex, used as an ultra-small light source to locally probe the sample. Because of an optical near-field interaction between the tip and the sample, the backscattered light contains information about the local optical properties (e.g. refractive index) of the surface. Optical imaging is performed by detecting the backscattered light interferometrically (optical amplitude and phase images are acquired simultaneously) by the probing tip while scanning the sample surface topography.

The size of the nano-focus, corresponding to the NeaSNOM’s resolution, is determined only by the radius of the tip apex. This is true even for electromagnetic waves much longer than the visible light, like infrared and terahertz radiation, yielding the same resolution of 10 nm throughout the spectrum.

By combining NeaSNOM with lasers in the appropriate wavelength range, chemical, structural and electronic properties of a sample can be analysed and investigated with resolution up to 1000-times higher when compared to conventional technology.

Uncover the secrets of the nanoworld with the NeaSNOM platform

Exploiting the broad infrared spectral region from visible to terahertz, NeaSNOM enables nanoscale-resolved mapping and quantification of different material properties such as

• Chemical composition
• Crystal structure
• Mechanical stress/strain
• Radiation damage
• Free charge carrier density and mobility
• Electric field distribution

Requiring minimal sample preparation, the NeaSNOM platform is ideally suited for nondestructive investigation of

• Infrared-active materials – crystalline, polycrystalline or amorphous
• Semiconductor nano-devices
• Metamaterials and nano-antennas
• Nanowires and nanoparticles
• Polymers and protein

Whether you would like to profile free carrier distribution in semiconductor nanorods, quantify doping levels in a single transistor, investigate the morphology of a polymer blend or visualize dark modes of nano-antennas…

…NeaSNOM is ready for the challenge!