Our NanoIR2-s microscope offers localised infrared (IR) spectroscopy and imaging with nanoscale resolution down to 10 nm, along with optical and advanced SPM capabilities. The modular nature of the system allows for measurement and characterisation of different nanoscale surface optoelectrical, thermal and magnetic properties. The system is suitable for studies of quantum materials and structures such as quantum wells, quantum dots, 2D materials, plasmonic metamaterials, semiconductors, polymer composites or biological samples. It can be used to study nanophotonic surface phenomena on 2D materials, such as surface phonon polaritons in hBN, surface plasmon polaritons in graphene or specific IR-adoption in virus-like peptide capsules.
Scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) studies local quantum defects as well as properties such as refractive index, chemical structure and local stress, beyond the far field resolution limit by exploiting the properties of evanescent waves. Nanoscale IR spectroscopy and mapping with 10 nm spatial resolution, covering the low and mid-IR regions, provides optical and chemical information of the sample. Nanoscale mapping of thermal conductivity can be carried out via scanning thermal microscopy. The thermal analysis mode (nanoTA), where local thermal properties and material composition can be studied, is suitable for polymer characterisation. Multifunctional measurements are also possible, correlating advanced SPM techniques and combining measurements of topography, thermal, magnetic and electronic properties.
Technical details
The systems operates in two optical modes, s-SNOM and AFM-IR, working in the near-mid-IR range and is equipped with two mid-IR sources, a quantum cascade laser (QCL) tunable in the range 950-2000 cm-1 (5-10.5 μm) and an optical parametric oscillator (OPO) in the range 950-4000 cm-1 (2.5-10.5 μm).
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