Presentation and demonstrations with the nano-FTIR

On Monday, April 11, the NUANCE Center hosted Dr. Tobias Gokus, Florian Huth, and Andreas Huber to discuss the on nano-FTIR - Infrared Imaging and Spectroscopy at 10 nm Spatial Resolution in the MSE Conference Room.

Dr. Gokus, an application engineer at Neaspec GmbH, led the talk about the instrument. During the four day event, people were encouraged to bring by their samples to test on the nano-FTIR for the demonstration portion.

ABSTRACT:

Neaspec’s scattering-type near-field optical microscopy systems (neaSNOM) allow to overcome the diffraction limit of light enabling optical measurements at a spatial resolution of 10nm not only at visible frequencies but also in the infrared or terahertz spectral range.

Scattering-type Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (s-SNOM) employs an externally-illuminated sharp metallic AFM tip to create a nanoscale hot-spot at its apex. The optical tip-sample near-field interaction is determined by the local dielectric properties (refractive index) of the sample and detection of the elastically tip-scattered light yields nanoscale resolved near-field images simultaneous to topography.

Development of a dedicated Fourier-transform detection module for analyzing light scattered from the tip which is illuminated by a broadband laser source enabled IR spectroscopy of complex polymer nanostructures (nano-FTIR). Identification of individual contaminants has been demonstrated. Other applications show characterization of embedded structural phases in biominerals or organic semiconductors. The patented modular system design allows for tailored system configurations where the ultimate spectral coverage can be achieved by using synchrotron-based broadband IR light sources or pump-probe measurements at 10nm spatial resolution.