Excited-state spectroscopy on an individual quantum dot using atomic force microscopy

We present a new charge sensing technique for the excited-state spectroscopy of individual quantum dots, which requires no patterned electrodes. An oscillating atomic force microscope cantilever is used as a movable charge sensor as well as gate to measure the single-electron tunneling between an individual self-assembled InAs quantum dot and back electrode. A set of cantilever dissipation versus bias voltage curves measured at different cantilever oscillation amplitudes forms a diagram analogous to the Coulomb diamond usually measured with transport measurements. The excited-state levels as well as the electron addition spectrum can be obtained from the diagram. In addition, a signature which can result from inelastic tunneling by phonon emission or a peak in the density of states of the electrode is also observed, which demonstrates the versatility of the technique.     

Design and analysis of an integrated optical sensor for scanning force microscopies

In this paper, a novel probe for displacement sensing will be introduced. It is based on a conventional GaAs cantilever, integrated with a Bragg grating as a photo-elastic strain sensor. The deflection of the cantilever is measured directly from the intensity modulation of the reflected light. The principle of the experimental setup and the sensor, as well as the theoretical investigation of the force and displacement sensitivity of the probe, is presented. Finite-element method simulations were performed to get the optimum sensor design. Transfer matrix method simulation of the waveguide grating have been described in detail. In order to enhance the sensitivity, different types of grating structures are discussed. Using this new design, it should be possible to achieve sensitivities, defined as the fractional change in detected optical power per unit displacement of the cantilever, as high as 10/sup -4/ /spl Aring//sup -1/ of cantilever deflection.     

Optimization of a microphone for photoacoustic spectroscopy

The principles of optimizing a microphone for a photoacoustic detector in the nonresonant mode of operation are presented. Performance of the constructed optical cantilever microphone is compared to the commercial electret microphone by measuring the photoacoustic spectrum of methane with both systems. The sensitivity of the presented photoacoustic detector in the nonresonant mode of operation is 100 times higher with the optical cantilever microphone than with the electret microphone.     

Imaging of resonant quenching of surface plasmons by quantum dots

In scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), confinement of surface plasmons to the optical cavity formed at the metallic tunneling gap stimulates the emission of light. We demonstrate that quantum dots (QDs) found in such a cavity give rise to discrete, observable transitions in the tunneling luminescence spectrum due to the resonant extinction of the plasmon. The observed resonances represent a fingerprint of the QD and occur at the optical band gap owing to the nearly simultaneous transfer of carriers from both sides of the tunneling gap to the QD. The resonant quenching of surface plasmons enables a new imaging technique, dubbed plasmon resonance imaging, with a spatial resolution potentially similar to that of STM and the energy resolution of optical spectroscopies. This detection and imaging strategy is not restricted to QDs, being of great interest to an entire spectrum of nanostructures, from molecular assemblies and biomolecules to carbon nanotubes.     

Light coupling into an optical microcantilever by an embedded diffraction grating

By measuring the excitation efficiency of an optical waveguide on a diffraction grating one can accurately register the changes in the incidence angle of the exciting light beam. This phenomenon was applied to detect ultrasmall deflections of silicon dioxide cantilevers of submicrometer thickness that were fabricated with corrugation on top to act as diffraction grating couplers. The power of light coupled into the cantilevers was monitored with a conventional photodetector and modulated using mechanical vibration of the cantilever, thus changing the spatial orientation of the coupler with respect to the incident light beam. The technique can be considered as an alternative to the methods known for detection of cantilever deflection.     

The noise of coated cantilevers

In atomic force microscopy, cantilevers with a reflective coating are often used to reduce optical shot noise for deflection detection. However, static AFM experiments can be limited by classical noise and therefore may not benefit from a reduction in shot noise. Furthermore, the cantilever coating has the detrimental side-effect of coupling light power fluctuations into true cantilever bending caused by time-varying thermal stresses. Here, we distinguish three classes of noise: detection, force, and displacement noise. We discuss these noises with respect to cantilever coating in the context of both static and dynamic AFM experiments. Finally, we present a patterned cantilever coating which reduces the impact of these noises.     

System modelling of a lateral force microscope

To quantitatively analyse lateral force microscope measurements one needs to develop a model able to relate the photodiode signal to the force acting on the tip apex. In this paper we focus on the modelling of the interaction between the cantilever and the optical chain. The laser beam is discretized by a set of rays which propagates in the system. The analytical equation of a single ray's position on the optical sensor is presented as a function of the reflection's state on top of the cantilever. We use a finite element analysis on the cantilever to connect the optical model with the force acting on the tip apex. A first-order approximation of the constitutive equations are derived along with a definition of the system's crosstalk. Finally, the model is used to analytically simulate the 'wedge method' in the presence of crosstalk in 2D. The analysis shows how the torsion loop and torsion offset signals are affected by the crosstalk.     

Scanning electrochemical microscopy monitoring in microcantilever platforms

The deflection of cantilever systems may be performed by an indirect electrochemical method that consists of measuring the local cantilever activity and deflection in a feedback generation-collection configuration of the SECM. This is illustrated during the electrochemically assisted adsorption of Br onto a gold-coated cantilever, either in its pristine state or previously coated with a thin organic barrier. It is further extended to the adsorption of an antibody in a heterogeneous immunoassay at an allergen-coated microcantilever platform. In both reactions, the cantilever deflection is qualitatively detected from the SECM tip current measurement and a quantitative estimate is obtained through modeling. This electroanalytical strategy provides an alternative approach to standard optical detection. It can overcome some limitations of the optical method by allowing electrochemical characterization of nonconductive cantilevers and appropriate use for closed systems.     

Nanoscale alignment and optical nanoimaging of a birefringent liquid

An anisotropic nanopatterning method, based on a technique of atomic force microscopy (AFM) scribing of a thin polyimide film, is used to generate an alignment layer whose topography depends on the writing direction. Detailed experimental measurements are presented for the topographical anisotropy that arises when the polyimide alignment layer is scribed parallel and antiparallel to the AFM cantilever orientation. By means of a novel nanotomographic approach, the optical retardation δ of an alignable birefringent liquid that covers the scribed substrate is measured with unprecedented resolution of only a few tens of nanometers. In this technique a thin optical fiber is raster-scanned at several fixed heights inside the birefringent liquid, and the transmitted polarized light is collected downstream. The optical retardation δ from the fiber's tip to the polyimide interface was measured as a function of position x,y,z, with the results reflecting the spatially varying depth of the medium due to the polymer film surface topography. Theoretical calculations for δ are in excellent agreement with both the topographical and the high resolution nanoimaging experimental results obtained.     

Photon tunneling in a uniaxial crystal film

A method for studying photon tunneling in uniaxial crystal films is presented. The complex refractive index and the complex angle of refraction of the evanescent wave in a crystal are calculated for the most general case. The reflectance and transmittance resulting from the tunneling effect in crystal films are discussed, and the relations among these coefficients and the optical parameters of crystal are found. These relations provide a theoretical basis for characterizing crystal films by means of photon tunneling.     

一种用于低频测量的光纤光栅振动传感器

利用光纤光栅敏感技术,设计了一种用于低频测量的光纤光栅振动传感器.该传感器采用了等强度悬臂梁作为振动传感元件,并在等强度悬臂梁的上下双面优化布置性能匹配的两个光纤光栅,一个为振动敏感测量光栅,另一个为信号匹配滤波解调光栅.该结构设计可以补偿温度的不利影响,同时也提高了传感器信号检测的灵敏度.实测结果表明,该传感器可以用于25 Hz以下的低频目标的振动测量.     

Optomechanical transduction of an integrated silicon cantilever probe using a microdisk resonator

Sensitive transduction of the motion of a microscale cantilever is central to many applications in mass, force, magnetic resonance, and displacement sensing. Reducing cantilever size to nanoscale dimensions can improve the bandwidth and sensitivity of techniques like atomic force microscopy, but current optical transduction methods suffer when the cantilever is small compared to the achievable spot size. Here, we demonstrate sensitive optical transduction in a monolithic cavity-optomechanical system in which a subpicogram silicon cantilever with a sharp probe tip is separated from a microdisk optical resonator by a nanoscale gap. High quality factor (Q ≈ 10(5)) microdisk optical modes transduce the cantilever's megahertz frequency thermally driven vibrations with a displacement sensitivity of ≈4.4 × 10(-16) m/(Hz)(1/2) and bandwidth >1 GHz, and a dynamic range >10(6) is estimated for a 1 s measurement. Optically induced stiffening due to the strong optomechanical interaction is observed, and engineering of probe dynamics through cantilever design and electrostatic actuation is illustrated.     

Principal angles and principal azimuths of frustrated total internal reflection and optical tunneling by an embedded low-index thin film

The condition for obtaining a differential (or ellipsometric) quarter-wave retardation when p- and s-polarized light of wavelength λ experience frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) and optical tunneling at angles of incidence ? ≥ the critical angle by a transparent thin film (medium 1) of low refractive index n1 and uniform thickness d, which is embedded in a transparent bulk medium 0 of high refractive index n0 takes the simple form: -tanh2 x = tan δp tan δs, in which x = 2πn1(d/λ)(N2sin2? - 1)(1/2), N = n0/n1, and δp, δs are 01 interface Fresnel reflection phase shifts for the p and s polarizations. From this condition, the ranges of the principal angle and normalized film thickness d/λ are obtained explicitly. At a given principal angle, the associated principal azimuths ψr, ψt in reflection and transmission are determined by tan2ψr = -sin 2δs/sin 2δp and tan2ψt = -tan δp/tan δs, respectively. At a unique principal angle ?e given by sin2?e = 2/(N2 + 1), ψr = ψt = 45° and linear-to-circular polarization conversion is achieved upon FTIR and optical tunneling simultaneously. The intensity transmittances of p- and s-polarized light at any principal angle are given by τp = tan δp/tan (δp - δs) and τs = -tan δs/tan (δp - δs), respectively. The efficiency of linear-to-circular polarization conversion in optical tunneling is maximum at ?e.     

FPGA Implementation of a Digital Sequential Phase-Shift Stroboscope for In-Plane Vibration Measurements With Subpixel Accuracy

This paper describes a sequential phase-shift stroboscope and a subpixel imaging system that is able to measure with high resolution weak in-plane harmonic motions, such as those of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The synchronization of both MEMS stimulus and light strobe can be obtained by either using the camera output frame signal or driving the external trigger of the camera, depending on the operation principle of the camera. Experimental results concern a small silicon cantilever resonator excited in its first and second vibration modes and a quartz tuning fork. Two optical configurations have been developed. The first one is based on the use of a macroobjective for large fields of view with micrometer resolution displacement measurement, and the second is based on an optical microscope for weak amplitude vibration measurements with a resolution down to a few nanometers. The whole logic unit of the stroboscopic signal generator is implemented into a low-cost field-programmable gate array, thus offering high flexibility.      

Compact stand-alone near-field optical microscope combined with force detection

We present a compact stand-alone near-field optical microscope combined with force detection in which manufactured atomic force microscope (AFM) microcantilevers are used for both optical and force detection. Because of the stand-alone design, the combination allows a great variety of operation modes, including the scanning tunneling optical microscope (STOM), and possibly the reflection scanning near-field optical microscope modes. The first images obtained in the AFM and the STOM mode are presented. A polarization study is carried out to confirm the optical nature of the detected signal and to discuss possible artifacts.     

具有溯源性的原子力显微镜探针法向弹性常数标定系统

原子力显微镜(AFM)悬臂梁探针的弹性常数在微纳米尺度力学测试中十分重要,其准确程度直接影响力学测量结果的可靠性,故需对其进行精确标定.因天平法的测量结果可溯源,本文在已有天平法的基础上,研制了一套新型标定系统.该系统将AFM测头与超精密电磁天平相结合.微悬臂梁在精密位移台的带动下接触天平并产生弯曲,接触力由天平测得,微悬臂梁的弯曲量由光杠杆检测,并通过反馈系统进行精确控制,最后根据胡克定律计算出弹性常数.利用本系统对4种不同型号商用微悬臂梁探针的法向弹性常数进行了标定,标定结果表明本系统具有良好的测量重复性.通过进行不确定度分析,得到测量结果的相对标准不确定度优于2%.     

Near-field optical apertured tip and modified structures for local field enhancement

We present experimental measurements and simulation of the spatial distribution of near-field light at the aperture of a Si micromachined near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) probe. A miniature aperture at the apex of a SiO(2) tip on a Si cantilever was fabricated with the low temperature oxidation and selective etching technique. An optical transmission efficiency (optical throughput) of the fabricated probe was determined to be approximately 10(-2) when the aperture size was approximately 100 nm, which is several orders of magnitude higher than that for conventional optical fibers. A three-dimensional finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation shows that the near-field light is well confined within the aperture area with a throughput of 1% for a 100-nm aperture, which is in good agreement with the measurement. The spatial distribution of the near-field light at an aperture of 300-nm diameter shows a full width at half-maximum of 250 nm with a sharp peak that is nearly 60 nm wide. The 2.4% throughput for a 300-nm aperture was estimated based on the measured spatial distribution of the near-field light that is almost the same as the experimental result. We also present the initial results of the fabrication of high throughput coaxial and surface plasmon enhancement NSOM probes.     

Electroluminescence from a single-nanocrystal transistor

We report the fabrication and characterization of light-emitting transistors incorporating individual cadmium selenide (CdSe) nanocrystals. Electrical measurements conducted at low bias voltage and low temperature show clear evidence of Coulomb blockade behavior, indicating that electrons pass through the nanocrystal by single-electron tunneling. Once the bias voltage exceeds the band gap of CdSe, devices with asymmetric tunnel barriers emit linearly polarized light. Combined analyses of the electrical and optical data indicate that the tunnel couplings between the nanorod and the metallic electrodes change significantly as a function of bias voltage and light emission results from the inelastic scattering of tunneling electrons.     

Wigner formulation of optical processing with light of arbitrary coherence

A unified mathematical formulation for designing and analyzing even the most general optical processor is presented. It exploits the Wigner distribution function to characterize the illumination, the input, the inherent filter, and the output results. To characterize the propagation of the light through the optical processor setup, we exploit the Wigner matrix formalism, which is appealing because it allows simple geometric analysis. The Wigner distribution function was extended to include illumination of arbitrary coherence so that processors using either coherent light or partially coherent light can be designed and analyzed with the same Wigner formalism. The basic principles, design, and analysis of the imaging and Fourier-transform operations and use of the Wigner formalism to evaluate the performance and tolerances of optical processors are presented.     

Scanning probe microscopy based on magnetoresistive sensing

Integrated sensors are essential for scanning probe microscopy (SPM) based systems that employ arrays of microcantilevers for high throughput. Common integrated sensors, such as piezoresistive, piezoelectric, capacitive and thermoelectric sensors, suffer from low bandwidth and/or low resolution. In this paper, a novel magnetoresistive-sensor-based scanning probe microscopy (MR-SPM) technique is presented. The principle of MR-SPM is first demonstrated using experiments with magnetic cantilevers and commercial MR sensors. A new cantilever design tailored to MR-SPM is then presented and micromagnetic simulations are employed to evaluate the achievable resolution. A remarkable resolution of 0.84?? over a bandwidth of 1?MHz is estimated, which would significantly outperform state-of-the-art optical deflection sensors. Due to its combination of high resolution at high bandwidth, and its amenability to integration in probe arrays, MR-SPM holds great promise for low-cost, high-throughput SPM.