NIFTI - Instruments

Instruments

DI SPM	NSOM	FEMTO LASER

Nanonics Near Field Scanning Optical Microscope

Near-field Scanning Optical Microscopy, also known as NSOM or SNOM, is a scanning probe microscopy that allows optical imaging with spatial resolution beyond the diffraction limit. The power of the technique lies in the fact that all (or nearly all) the spectroscopic and imaging techniques developed using conventional optics can in principle be ported over to NSOM and thereby combined with sub wavelength spatial resolution. NSOM offers the potential for spatially resolving the spectroscopic constituents of heterogeneous material systems on a sub micron length scale, thereby shedding light on the relationship between spectroscopic properties and microscopic structure. Key features of the NSOM includes:

Full Integration with Upright and Inverted Optical Microscopes

Simultaneous and Independent NSOM/AFM
NSOM Modes: Transmission, Reflection, Illumination and Collection Modes
Normal Force Sensing: Contact, Non-Contact, and Intermittent Contact Modes in Both AFM and NSOM
Confocal Imaging
Fluorescent Microscopy
Nanonics Optical Fiber Probes - Dual Use For NSOM and AFM
Unique System Architecture
Ultimate Flexibility
Advanced Image Analysis

Two feedback mechanism: Optical lever detection and tuning fork

By all accounts, next decade will undoubtedly witness surge in nanoscale optical phenomena, in concert with patterning and architecture of optically-active functional nanostructure systems. Nano-optics and Nano-Photonic activities at- and around Northwestern would be greatly advanced by capabilities offered by Nanonics SNOM and Lambda-Physics femto-second laser system:

NSOM measures:

Non-invasive optical imaging of biological, physical and hybrid nano-optical structures at nanoscale resolution.
Optically-based spectroscopy capabilities in frequency range up to femto-second pulses.
System capable of integration with table-top experiments to diversify and enhance capabilities for specialized and unique experiments.
Stress of certain points of the sample which changes its optical properties
Magnetic properties which changes the optical properties
Localized spectroscopy: single molecule spectroscopy, Raman studies
Biological fluorescence and absorption imaging
Medical imaging
Thin-film analysis