Ultrasonic resonance regulated near-field scanning optical microscope and laser induced near-field optical-force interaction

Abstract

We have developed a novel sample-tip regulation for a near-field optical microscope: an ultrasonic resonance regulation method. The regulation range is from 0 to 50 nm. It shows not only stability, simplicity in construction, but also versatility in vacuum, magnetic field, and low temperature environments. The main advantage of this technique is that it is a non-optical detecting scheme, which is very important for near-field spectroscopy. Such construction can also be used as a force microscope to study the topography of insulating samples. The laser light induced force interaction in the near-field range has been observed for the first time, showing that aided by laser radiation, the shear force between sample and tip can be changed depending on the type of sample. This can be interpreted as the light induced optical tip-sample interaction of light pressure effect. The van der Waals dispersion energy and the optical binding energy induced by laser beam between dielectric tip and samples play important role. The effect confirms a theoretical prediction. This new technique and phenomenon will add new aspects to near-field optics.