US 10,436,813 B1 · Surface plasmon scanning-tunneling chemical mapping (SPSTM) system

Abstract

A Surface Plasmon Scanning-Tunneling Chemical Mapping (SPSTM) system is disclosed that determines identification characteristics of a target material. An optical beam source launches an optical beam that propagates through a transparent optical element to a material layer to excite surface plasmons of the material layer. An optical probe with a nanometer-sized tip is positioned over a nanometer-sized region of the target material, which is positioned on the material layer, to measure a probe signal associated only with the surface plasmons that tunnel from the material layer through the nanometer-sized region of the target material and collected by the optical probe. An optical property analyzer is configured to determine at least one optical property associated with the nanometer-sized region based on the probe signal associated with the surface plasmons collected by the optical probe. The optical properties identify identification characteristics associated with the nanometer-sized region of the target material.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A Surface Plasmon Scanning-Tunneling Chemical Mapping (SPSTM) system, comprising:

an optical beam source configured to launch an optical beam through a transparent optical element at a surface plasmon excitation angle to a material layer that is positioned on the transparent optical element to excite a plurality of surface plasmons of the material layer;
an optical probe with a nanometer-sized tip configured to measure a probe signal associated with the surface plasmons that tunnel from the material layer through a nanometer-sized region of a target material and collected by the optical probe, wherein the nanometer-sized tip is localized to the nanometer-sized region when the optical probe is prevented from measuring probe signals associated with surface plasmons that tunnel from outside of the nanometer-sized region;
and
an optical property analyzer configured to determine at least one optical property associated with the nanometer-sized region based on the probe signal associated with the surface plasmons collected by the optical probe, wherein the optical properties identify a plurality of identification characteristics associated with the nanometer-sized region of the target material.

1 more element

A method for identifying a target material based on optical properties of the target material that are determined from surface plasmons that tunnel from a material layer through the target material to an optical probe, comprising:

launching an optical beam into a transparent optical element through a transparent optical element at a surface plasmon excitation angle to the material layer that is positioned on the transparent optical element;
exciting a plurality of surface plasmons of the material layer;
positioning a nanometer-sized tip of the optical probe so that the nanometer-sized tip is localized to a nanometer-sized region of the target material;
measuring a probe signal associated with the surface plasmons that tunnel from the material layer through the nanometer-sized region of the target material and collected by the optical probe, wherein the nanometer-sized tip is localized to the nanometer-sized region when the optical probe is prevented from measuring probe signals associated with surface plasmons that tunnel from outside of the nanometer-sized region;
and
determining at least one optical property associated with the nanometer-sized region based on the probe signal associated with the surface plasmons collected by the optical probe, wherein the optical properties identify a plurality of identification characteristics associated with the nanometer-sized region of the target material.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Surface plasmon scanning-tunneling chemical mapping (SPSTM) system

Life of this patent

Surface plasmon scanning-tunneling chemical mapping (SPSTM) system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20