Nanonics offers a nano-tool kit of glass based probes that enhances the functionality of the MultiView instrumentation series. Specially tailored for Nanonics instruments, these glass-based probes are fabricated and tested in-house and take advantage of over a decade's experience in manufacturing probes for sophisticated measurements.  Integrated into Nanonics MultiProbe systems, these probes provide a NanoWorkstation for sample characterization.

All Nanonics probes are:

• optically friendly
• work in both tuning fork and beam bounce feedback
• multiprobe friendly
• deep trench and other customizable geometries

Below we highlight some of Nanonics' unique SPM probes:

NSOM probes.  Apertured optical fiber probes for delivering and mapping light on the nanoscale.

The cantilevered, extended design provides a clear separation of the excitation and collection paths (see image on right) for true reflection NSOM imaging, while the waveguide characteristics makes for ideal collection mode NSOM.  With a Nanonics MultiProbe system, one probe can be used for excitation and the other for collection for a true near-field experiment.  

TERS probes.  Extended and transparent cantilever design allows for all modes of TERS operation:  reflection, transmission, and side illumination.  The TERS probe (see image below) is a high dielectric constant gold nanoparticle probe with a defined plasmon resonance, coming in a variety of diameters and is embedded at the end of a glass cantilevered probe. This design enables reliable operation on all substrates including non-conducting surfaces with no Raman background.

Raman probes. Transparent AFM probes from fused silica with no Raman background enable true reflection Raman without obscuring the optical path.  Allows for easy and accurate positioning.  These non-interfereing cantilevers are high and out of the optical focus of the tip.

Cantilevered glass micro electrodes with a sealed nano-wire ideal for for electrical, ion/electrochemistry and capacitance measurements.  The wire is completely sealed except at the apex critical for SECM and ion current measurements while the cantilevered design allows simultaneous topography to be measured.   True coaxial probes are available as well.

TERS probe

Thermal and Thermal conductivity probes.

Cantilevered Au/Pt microthermocouples for on-line thermal imaging. High sensitivity probes allowing for thermal, thermal conductivity and resistivity measurements.  

Nanolithography Probes.  Gas and chemical delivery NanoFountainTM Probes allow for writing a wide variety of materials on a large variety of surfaces.  The cantilevered glass pipettes have a reservoir for over a week of writing. 

Lensed fibers.  Specially designed lensed optical fibers couple light in or out of small devices such as microwaveguides, microlasers, microdetectors etc.  These fibers can be accurately designed by application need.   Coupled into the Nanonics Optometronic workstation, these fibers makes for the ideal photonics workstation.  

German researchers report, for the first time, generation of azimuthually (z) polarized light from an NSOM fiber tip using Nanonics NSOM tips and a Nanonics Multiview 4000 system (see paper here) using both experiments and simulations. The ability of NSOM probes to generate z-polarized light has important applications in both near-field excitation and illumination protocols in nanophotonics and plasmonics. The generation of azimuthal polarization in the metal-coated fiber tip is attributed to Nanonics patented geometry of bent and tapered probe, symmetry breaking in the probe's bend and the tip's cone which acts as a plasmonic mode filter for selectively transmitting azimuthal and linear polarization. Nanonics NSOM probes allow for significant customization, and so the researchersfurther improved the efficiency of the polarization modes by controlled FIB processing of NSOM tip apexes.

This study took advantage of the unique and flexible design of Nanonics probes to  provide important insights into understanding the true output of NSOM probes that will enable further understanding and manipulation of near-field effects.

SEM of NSOM tip (a). Colorized SEM of stepwise FIB cut-back to increase diameter (b) and polished tip apex (c)