Nano-FTIR Correlation Nanoscopy for Organic and Inorganic Material Analysis

Significance: Correlation scanning probe techniques to complement nanoscale IR measurements for next generation sample characterization Scattering-type Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (s-SNOM) is a scanning probe approach to optical microscopy and spectroscopy, bypassing the ubiquitous diffraction limit of light to achieve a spatial resolution below 20 nanometers. s-SNOM employs the strong confinement of light at the apex of a sharp metallic atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip to create a nanoscale optical hot-spot. Analyzing the scattered light from the tip enables the extraction of the optical properties of the sample directly below the tip and yields nanoscale resolved images simultaneous to topography [1]. In addition, the technology has been advanced to enable Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy on the nanoscale (nano-FTIR) [2] using broadband radiation from the visible spectral range to THz frequencies. Recently, the combined analysis of complex nanoscale material systems by correlating near-field optical data with information obtained by other scanning probe microscopy (SPM)-based measurement methodologies has gained significant interest. For example, the material-characteristic nano-FTIR spectra of a phase-separated polystyrene/low-density polyethylene (PS/LDPE) polymer blend verifies sharp material interfaces by measuring a line profile across a ca. 1 μm sized LDPE island. Near-field reflection/absorption imaging at 1500cm-1 of the ca. 50nm thin film allows to selectively highlight the distribution of PS in the blend and simultaneously map the mechanical properties like adhesion of the different materials [3,4]. Further, we present results that correlate the near-field optical response of semiconducting samples like graphene (2D) or functional SRAM devices (3D) in different frequency ranges (mid-IR & THz) to Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM) measurements. Thus, s-SNOM systems represent an ideal platform to gain novel insights into complex material systems by different near-field and AFM-based method. [1] F. Keilmann, R. Hillenbrand, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A 362, 787 (2004). [2] F. Huth, et al., Nano Lett. 12, 3973 (2012). [3] B. Pollard, et al., Beilstein J. of Nanotechn. 7, 605 (2016). [4] I. Amenabar, et al., Nature Commun. 8, 14402 (2017).