SCANNING NEAR-FIELD OPTICAL MICROSPECTROMETER
The NFS Series of scanning near-field optical microspectrometers have been optimized as a new solution for nanotechnology applications. Traditionally, characterization methods on the nanometer scale consist of topography observation using an electron or scanning probe microscope or elemental analysis using an x-ray microanalyzer. These methods deliver images with high spatial resolution but they cannot obtain chemical information from a sample surface.
On the other hand, traditional FT-IR, photoluminescence, or Raman microspectroscopy instruments can provide chemical data for a sample, but the spatial resolution is determined by the diffraction limit of light, limited to the wavelength of the light used. Scanning near-field microspectrometers allows characterization at the extreme nano level range exceeding the diffraction limit of light.
Introducing light into a fiber probe with an aperture of a hundred to several hundred nm produces near-field light of the same size as the probe aperture. Bringing the sample close to the probe aperture (within 100 nm) allows spectroscopic observations with a spatial resolution of several hundred nm as a result of the interaction of the near-field light with the sample surface.
The NFS-210/310 series is a near-field microscopy system incorporating a feedback mechanism for controlling the distance between the near-field probe and sample surface with a telescope.
The NFS-220/320 series combines the precision of the NFS near-field microscope system with the additional excitation optics.
The NFS-230/330 series is an integrated near-field spectrometer system providing fluorescence and photoluminescence spectra with extremely high spatial resolution.
Rapid expansion of the IT industry has promoted extensive research and development on optical elements for communication in the 1.3-1.5 micron wavelength range.