Observation of nanostructure by scanning near-field optical microscope with small sphere probe

Step and terrace structure has been observed in an area of 1 μm×1 μm on the cleaved surface of KCl-KBr solid-solution single crystal by scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM) with a small sphere probe of 500 nm diameter. Lateral spatial resolution of the SNOM system was estimated to be 20 nm from the observation of step width and the scanning-step interval. Vertical spatial resolution was estimated to be 5-2 nm from the observation of step height and noise level of photomultiplier tube (PMT). With applying a dielectric dipole radiation model to the probe surface, the reason why such a high spatial resolution was obtained in spite of the 500 nm sphere probe, was understood as the effect of the near-field term appeared in the radiation field equations.     

Development of a backscattering type ultraviolet apertureless near-field scanning optical microscope

A backscattering type ultraviolet apertureless near-field scanning optical microscope (ANSOM) for the correlated measurement of topographical and optical characteristics of photonic materials with high optical resolution was developed. The near-field Rayleigh scattering image of GaN covered with periodic submicron Cr dots showed that optical resolution around 40 nm was achievable. By measuring the tip scattered photoluminescence of InGaN/GaN multi quantum wells, the applicability of the developed microscope for high resolution fluorescence measurement was also demonstrated.     

Characterization of alpha-phase soft proton-exchanged LiNbO3 optical waveguides

Waveguides in LiNbO3 are realized by a soft proton exchange (SPE) process with use of a melt of stearic acid highly diluted by lithium stearate. No phase transitions are formed when alpha-phase waveguides are obtained by SPE. The alpha-phase presents the same crystalline structure as that of pure LiNbO3 crystal, and it maintains the excellent nonlinear and electro-optical properties of the bulk material. The kinetics of the SPE method is studied by the use of secondary-ion mass spectrometry and prism-coupling techniques. The hydrogen effective diffusion coefficient as well as the self-diffusion coefficients of H+ and Li+ ions are determined as a function of the proton-exchange temperature for X-cut LiNbO3.     

Optical branching effect in Ti:LiNbO3 waveguides: near-field pattern studies

The paper presents a detailed study of a single optical beam splitting into several beams (the branching effect) in photorefractive sensitive Ti:LiNbO3 optical slab waveguides. The near-field patterns of the multibeam structures are presented for different values of optical power coupled into TE guided modes of different orders. The process of partial recovery of the optically damaged waveguide (the partial shrinking of the multibeam bundle created) is also described.     

Non-linear optical wavelength conversion in Ti:LiNbO3 waveguides

Phase matching temperatures for second harmonic generation were measured for fundamental wavelengths from 1.06 to 1.24 μm in a planar waveguide and compared with bulk crystal values. Furthermore, both second harmonic generation and sum frequency generation were achieved in a channel waveguide, the latter by mixing the Nd-YAG laser wavelength at 1.064 μm with Raman-shifted light from the same light source. A conversion efficiency for second harmonic generation in a channel waveguide of 4.2% at a fundamental power of 120 mW was obtained. Some material-related aspects on waveguides for this type of application are also discussed.     

Narrowband Bragg reflectors in Ti:LiNbO3 optical waveguides

Bragg grating reflectors etched in amorphous silicon overlay films have been integrated with Ti:LiNbO3 optical waveguides to obtain a narrow (0.05 nm) reflectance spectrum with a > 20 dB dip in the transmittance spectrum. These results were realized at a wavelength of 1542.7 nm for TE polarization on an x-cut, y-propagating substrate with gratings etched to a depth of approximately 93 nm in a 105 nm thick silicon film over a length of 12.5 mm. The reflectance in the channel waveguides is found to be strongly dependent on the depth of the etched grating. The effect of the Bragg waveguide loss factor on the transmittance and reflectance spectra is investigated by using a model for contradirectional coupling that includes an attenuation coefficient. The values for coupling constants kappa and amplitude attenuation constants alpha of samples etched for different time durations to control the grating depths are obtained from the model through the use of the depth of the dips in the transmittance spectra and the spectral widths of the reflectance peaks. It is concluded that the corrugated Si overlay film increases the insertion loss by approximately 2.7 dB, and the loss is not significantly affected by the grating depth.     

Theory for the measurements of dispersion characteristics in waveguiding structures with a scanning near-field optical microscope

A theory is presented for the interpretation of scanning near-field optical microscope measurements on pulses propagating in waveguiding structures. It is shown how the dispersion characteristics of the propagating guided modes may be derived from such experiments. Then it is demonstrated how to calibrate the scanning tip position and to derive experimental values for reflection and transmission of modes in identical single-mode waveguides connected to a photonic device such as a micro cavity.     

Design and optimization of a near-field scanning optical microscope for imaging biological samples in liquid

We describe a near-field scanning optical microscope capable of imaging biological samples in liquid. The microscope uses a straight optical fiber near-field probe and optical shear-force feedback for tip-sample distance regulation. Physical aspects of the design are discussed, and phenomena related to operation in liquid are revealed. Careful calibration of the instrument in air and in liquid is shown, and for the first time to our knowledge, near-field fluorescence images of a biological cell in liquid are presented.     

Phase separation in polyaniline with near-field scanning optical microscopy

We report the studies of conjugated polymers, polyaniline thin films, with a near-field scanning optical microscope. Because of the absorption variation in different oxidation states, transmission-mode near-field scanning optical microscope images were employed to map out the distribution of the oxidation states on a submicrometer scale. When the near-field wavelength is varied (between 632.8 and 543.5 nm), the phase separation between the oxidized and the reduced repeated units, with domain sizes on a nanometer-length scale, is observed.     

Collinear guided wave to leaky wave acoustooptic interactions in proton-exchanged LiNbO(3) waveguides

The results of a detailed theoretical study on collinear guided wave to leaky wave acoustooptic (AO) interactions in proton-exchanged LiNbO(3) (PE:LiNbO(3)) planar waveguides are presented. The guided-to-leaky mode conversion for an input optical beam at the wavelength of 632.8 nm by the induced diffraction grating from a collinear surface acoustic wave (SAW) is analyzed using a generalized multimode formulation of the coupled mode theory. Mode conversion efficiency and AO bandwidth have been calculated as functions of acoustic frequency, interaction length, guiding layer thickness, and acoustic drive power density for three cuts of the LiNbO(3) substrate. High performance configurations that are desirable for application to demultiplexing and switching in optical communication systems are identified, and the corresponding channel capacity and frequency resolution are determined. For example, it was shown that the X-cut configuration features the highest mode conversion efficiency. However, a relatively small AO bandwidth is associated with this configuration. Both high mode conversion efficiency and large AO bandwidth can be accomplished at the guiding layer thickness of 1.0 mum. A TM(o)-->TE(nu) mode conversion efficiency as high as 42% together with an AO bandwidth of approximately 70 MHz can be achieved in the Z-cut waveguide at the guiding layer thickness of 1.0 mum, acoustic drive power density of 50 mW/mm, interaction length of 40 mm, and acoustic frequency of 460 MHz. The corresponding channel capacity and frequency resolution are 745 and 0.09 MHz, respectively. Measured mode conversion efficiencies as high as 90 and 78% obtained at the acoustic frequencies of 107 and 367 MHz using the X-cut substrate and the Y-propagation SAW have verified the theoretical prediction on the mode conversion efficiencies.     

XPS-investigation of proton exchanged waveguides in LiNbO3

An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study of X-cut LiNbO₃ proton exchanged in pure and lithium benzoate buffered benzoic acid melt has been performed. Binding energies and full width at half maximum for the Li1s, O1s and Nb3d peaks in the depth range 0–10 nm were investigated by using Ar ion sputtering. The largest changes with increasing depth are established for the surface atomic layers between 0 and 1 nm. Li-enrichment of the surface is observed when both buffered and pure benzoic acid melts are used.     

Characterization of annealed, proton-exchanged optical waveguides in ZnO:LiNbO(3) crystal

We report a systematic study of the annealing process in proton-exchanged ZnO:LiNbO(3) optical waveguides. A z-cut multimode waveguide was subjected to annealing for different durations of time. A two-stage change in index profiles with annealing time was observed, which was consistent with the change in the m-line spectrum. A power-law relationship was established to correlate the optical parameters with annealing time. Annealed Li(+) concentration in the waveguide was solved based on the thermal diffusion equation. An analytical function was used to model the annealed-index profile of single-mode, proton-exchanged waveguides. Good agreement between the theoretical analysis and the experimental result was obtained.     

Planar optical waveguides obtained in Z-cut LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 by proton exchange in LiHSO4 vapors

A new proton source – LiHSO₄ vapors at low temperature – was used in forming optical waveguides in LiNbO₃ and LiTaO₃. The proton-exchanged layers were investigated by mode spectroscopy and infrared absorption spectroscopy. An estimate of the optical losses and phase contents of the waveguides was made. The diffusion parameters were determined for both types of crystal, and were compared to those obtained when benzoic acid melt was used as a proton source. The results presented could contribute to the realization of waveguides with controled phase compositions. The method proposed allows the use of a very simple and safe chamber construction, and the production of low-loss waveguides in a single technological step.     

Correlation between optical and topographical images from an external reflection near-field microscope with shear force feedback

An external reflection scanning near-field optical microscope with shear force regulation of the tip-surface distance is described. Near-field optical and shear force topographical images are compared for various samples. It is shown that the most important correlative relationships between these images can be deduced from symmetry considerations. The possibility of extracting additional information from the optical images is demonstrated on images of human blood cells.     

Comparison of dislocation images obtained using the scanning optical microscope and scanning electron microscope

Dislocations in a silicon specimen containing a p-n junction have been imaged with a scanning optical microscope (SOM) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) using the induced carrier mode. Examination of the same dislocations by the two methods has shown that virtually identical images are obtained and the spatial resolution is 1m.     

Integral equations applied to wave propagation in two dimensions: modeling the tip of a near-field scanning optical microscope

We present a Green's-function/Green's-theorem integral equation approach to numerically modeling two-dimensional, s-polarized, wave propagation problems effectively for a variety of geometries. The model accurately calculates both near fields and far fields because of the minimal assumptions made on the behavior of the scattered radiation. The method was applied to modeling light emission from a near-field scanning optical microscope fiber tip. Several convergence and energy tests were used to give confidence in the results. The behavior of intensity and power near the tip was investigated. The effects of changing the dielectric constant of a sample material located below the tip were also examined.     

Mapping the fluorescence decay lifetime of a conjugated polymer in a phase-separated blend using a scanning near-field optical microscope

We have studied a blend of the polymers poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (F8) dispersed in an inert matrix of polystyrene (PS) using time-resolved scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM). On spin-casting, phase separation occurs between the two polymers resulting in a thin film characterized by an F8-rich phase and a PS-rich phase. By spatially mapping the intensity of photoluminescence from the film, we find that there is a low concentration of F8 trapped within the PS-rich phase. We find that the fluorescence emission lifetime (measured at 440 nm) of F8 trapped within the PS-rich phase is significantly longer than that from the F8-rich phase (290 ps compared to 235 ps). Furthermore, spectral measurements indicate that the F8 emission from the PS-rich phase is characterized by a reduced fraction of emission from fluorenone defect states. Taken together, our measurements suggest that in the PS-rich phase interchain exciton diffusion between F8 molecules is suppressed significantly by the effect of dilution.     

Intermode light diffusion in multimode optical waveguides with rough surfaces

A theoretical analysis of incoherent intermode light power diffusion in multimode dielectric waveguides with rough (corrugated) surfaces is presented. The correlation length a of the surface-profile variations is assumed to be sufficiently large (a less less than lambda/2pi) to permit light scattering into the outer space only from the modes close to the critical angles of propagation and yet sufficiently small (a less less than d, where d is the average width of the waveguide) to permit direct interaction between a given mode and a large number of neighboring ones. The cases of a one-dimensional (1D) slab waveguide and a two-dimensional cylindrical waveguide (optical fiber) are analyzed, and we find that in both cases the partial differential equations that govern the evolution of the angular light power profile propagating along the waveguide are 1D and of the diffusion type. However, whereas in the former case the effective conductivity coefficient proves to be linearly dependent on the transverse-mode wave number, in the latter one the linear dependence is for the effective diffusion coefficient. The theoretical predictions are in reasonable agreement with experimental results for the intermode power diffusion in multimode (700 x 700) optical fibers with etched surfaces. The characteristic length of dispersion of a narrow angular power profile evaluated from the correlation length and standard deviation of heights of the surface profile proved to be in good agreement with the experimentally observed changes in the output angular power profiles.     

High spatial resolution imaging with near-field scanning optical microscopy in liquids.

The mechanism of tuning fork-based shear-force near-field scanning optical microscopy is investigated to determine optimal experimental conditions for imaging soft samples immersed in liquid. High feedback sensitivity and stability are obtained when only the fiber probe, i.e., excluding the tuning fork prongs, is immersed in solution, which also avoids electrical shorting in conductive (i.e., buffer) solutions. Images of MEH-PPV were obtained with comparable spatial resolution in both air and water. High optical resolution (approximately160 nm fwhm) was observed.