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Published on: September 27, 2011
Photoinduced Force Mapping of Plasmonic Nanostructures
Thejaswi U Tumkur1, Xiao Yang1, Benjamin Cerjan1
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, ‡Department of Physics and Astronomy, §Department of Chemistry, ∥Laboratory for Nanophotonics, ⊥Rice Quantum Institute, and #Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, Rice University , 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, United States.
This study demonstrates photoinduced force microscopy to map optical near-fields and electromagnetic forces of plasmonic nanostructures. This technique reveals nanoscale optical properties for advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Nanophotonics
- Plasmonics
- Atomic Force Microscopy
Background:
- Imaging optical near-fields and spectroscopic information of nanoscale structures with high resolution is crucial for nanophotonics.
- Current techniques face limitations in simultaneously mapping morphology, optical near-fields, and spectroscopic data with high spatiotemporal resolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a photoinduced force microscopy (PIFM) technique for mapping electromagnetic forces between a nanoscale tip and optically excited plasmonic nanostructures.
- To provide a joint experimental-theoretical investigation of PIFM for nanoscale optical force characterization.
- To demonstrate PIFM's utility in characterizing near-field enhancements in nanostructures for applications in nanomanufacturing, SERS, and photocatalysis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based imaging platform to detect electromagnetic forces between a nanoscale tip and plasmonic nanostructures under optical excitation.
- Conducted detailed experimental measurements and theoretical simulations of photoinduced forces.
- Employed realistic tip and sample geometries in simulations to decompose forces into in-plane and out-of-plane components.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that near-field optical force enhancements in gold nanostructures (disk dimers, nanorods) correlate with plasmonic field enhancements and exhibit strong polarization dependence.
- Validated simulated force calculations against experimental measurements for fabricated plasmonic structures.
- Showcased PIFM's capability to map heterogeneity in near-field enhancements within nominally identical nanostructures.
Conclusions:
- Photoinduced force microscopy is a powerful technique for mapping optical near-fields and electromagnetic forces at the nanoscale.
- PIFM provides valuable insights into plasmonic field enhancements and their polarization sensitivity.
- The technique is effective for characterizing nanoscale variations in optical properties, crucial for precise nanomanufacturing and applications like SERS and photocatalysis.
