Article

Abstract

• Infrared vibrational nano-spectroscopy based on scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) provides intrinsic chemical specificity with nanometer spatial resolution. Here we use incoherent infrared radiation from a 1400 K thermal blackbody emitter for broadband infrared (IR) nano-spectroscopy. With optimized interferometric heterodyne signal amplification we achieve few-monolayer sensitivity in phonon polariton spectroscopy and attomolar molecular vibrational spectroscopy. Near-field localization and nanoscale spatial resolution is demonstrated in imaging flakes of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and determination of its phonon polariton dispersion relation. The signal-to-noise ratio calculations and analysis for different samples and illumination sources provide a reference for irradiance requirements and the attainable near-field signal levels in s-SNOM in general. The use of a thermal emitter as an IR source thus opens s-SNOM for routine chemical FTIR nano-spectroscopy.

Creator

• O'Callahan, Brian T.
• Lewis, William E.
• Raschke, Markus B.
• Muller, Eric A.
• Möbius, Silke
• Stanley, Jared C.

Date Issued

• 2015-12-03

Academic Affiliation

• University Libraries

Journal Title

• Optics Express

Journal Issue/Number

• 25

Journal Volume

• 23

File Extent

• 32063-32074

Subject

• Near-field microscopy
• Infrared spectroscopy

Last Modified

• 2019-12-09

Resource Type

• Article

Rights Statement

• In Copyright

DOI

•  https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.23.032063

ISSN

• 1094-4087

Language

• English [eng]

Relationships

In Collection:

• University Libraries Open Access Fund Supported Publications

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