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neaSCOPE for Nanoscale Optical Material Characterization (Mar 14, 2023) seminar

The neaSCOPE in physics has newly been installed and is available for new users.  Learn about what it has to offer in this special seminar!

Title: neaSCOPE for Nanoscale Optical Material Characterization with 10 nm Spatial Resolution Technology and Applications
Speaker: Dr. Tobias Gokus, attocube systems AG
When: March 14th 9:30 am
Where: PAS 218

Every scientific question has its own merits and demands specific instrumentation to search for answers. Nanoscale infrared is a novel versatile which allows to probe material properties such as chemical composition, molecular orientation, stress & strain fields, and free-carrier concentration with 10 nm spatial resolution.

Nanoscale infrared combines and exploits the benefits of two well established technologies, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and infrared microscopy and spectroscopy. An IR laser beam is focused on the apex of an AFM tip creating a nano-sized optical probe at the tip-sample interface. Acting as a local probe, the AFM tip senses the optical tip-sample interaction. By detecting either the scattered light from the area right below the tip (nano-FTIR) or by detection of the cantilever deflection and dynamics (tapping AFM-IR+) infrared images and spectra with nanoscale spatial resolution are obtained. Depending on the individual research needs, it is also possible to opt for VIS, IR or THz light sources.

Pushing the limits of nano-FTIR further and combining it with time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy it is now even possible to measure the ultrafast charge-carrier dynamics in layered materials, semiconductors and strongly correlated materials with femtosecond temporal and nanometer spatial resolution.

In our presentation, we will introduce the basic working principle of near-field optical microscopy modalities available for the neaSCOPE microscope system and will highlight the broad spectrum of applications for studying the nanoscale optical, electronic and structural properties of various material classes such as polymers, minerals, 2D and layered materials, semiconductors, photonic as well as novel photovoltaic and battery materials.