IMR: Acquisition of a Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope System with Spectroscopy for Research and Education

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal seeks funding to acquire a Nanonics MultiView 2000 near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) system with spectroscopic capability. The NSOM will enable new research directions dealing with photonic crystals, nanoscale waveguides, fluorescent nanoparticles, quantum dots, DNA-based nanobarcodes, biodegradable fiber nanocomposites, anti-fouling coatings, electroluminescent organic electronics, molecular scale devices, and heterostructure semiconducting devices. The Nanonics instrument is extremely flexible in its functionality, making accessible a variety of optical phenomena at the nanoscale. Near-field or confocal optical images can be acquired simultaneously with nanoscale topographical images. Light can be collected/excited both in the far-field with an optical microscope (in transmission or reflection) and in the near-field with the nanoscale aperture probe. Coupling the light from the probe or the optical microscope to a spectrometer allows correlation of spectral data (fluorescence, electroluminescence, photoluminescence, etc.) with topographical data. The NSOM will be incorporated into courses both in the College of Engineering and in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The instrument will also be the basis for developing a hands-on module dealing with the waveguiding of light; through a variety of CCMR outreach programs, this module will be made available to K-12 teachers for use in their classroom science classes and, for older students, as background information for understanding the operation of the NSOM. The ability to correlate nanoscale optical phenomena with nanoscale topographical information will open up new areas of inquiry and aid in solving current problems that could not be addressed previously.