SCANNING NEAR-FIELD MICROSCOPE UTILIZING POLARIZATION

• Main Authors: MITSUOKA YASUYUKI, SATO KATSUAKI, NAKAJIMA KUNIO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 08.12.1998
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: APPLICATIONS OF SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES, e.g. SCANNING PROBEMICROSCOPY [SPM]; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS; MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEARDIMENSIONS; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; SCANNING-PROBE TECHNIQUES OR APPARATUS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ARTCOLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TESTING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable high-sensitivity, high-resolution, quantitative observation and measurement of the circular dichroism and the optical rotating power of a sample by using a scanning type near-field microscope which utilizes polarization. SOLUTION: An optical fiber probe 1 having a minute opening at the sharpened tip is brought close to a sample 2, and scanning in the x and y directions is performed by a piezo-actuator 15 lighting the sample 2 with near- field light from the minute opening. To combine with circularly polarized light modulation, an optical delay of a frequency p (Hz) is given to light incident on the optical fiber probe 1 by using an optical piezo-modulator 10. After penetrating a sample 2, a near-field light emitted from the minute opening passes an analyzer 5, and is received by a photodetector 7. The output of the photodetector 7 is inputted to a lock-in amplifier 8, and its p and 2p components are lock-in-detected, and changed into picture images by a controller 16.