Advanced Surface Probing Using a Dual-Mode NSOM–AFM Silicon-Based Photosensor
by
Matityahu Karelits 1, Emanuel Lozitsky 1, Avraham Chelly 2, Zeev Zalevsky 2,3 and 
Avi Karsenty 1,4,*
Matityahu Karelits 1, Emanuel Lozitsky 1, Avraham Chelly 2, Zeev Zalevsky 2,3 and Avi Karsenty 1,4,*
1
Advanced Laboratory of Electro-Optics (ALEO), Department of Applied Physics/Electro-Optics Engineering, Lev Academic Center, Jerusalem 9116001, Israel
2
Faculty of Engineering, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
3
The Nanotechnology Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
4
The Nanotechnology Center for Education and Research, Lev Academic Center, Jerusalem 9116001, Israel
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nanomaterials 2019, 9(12), 1792; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano9121792
Received: 10 November 2019 / Revised: 10 December 2019 / Accepted: 14 December 2019 / Published: 16 December 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nano Fabrications of Solid-State Sensors and Sensor Systems)
A feasibility analysis is performed for the development and integration of a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) tip–photodetector operating in the visible wavelength domain of an atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever, involving simulation, processing, and measurement. The new tip–photodetector consists of a platinum–silicon truncated conical photodetector sharing a subwavelength aperture, and processing uses advanced nanotechnology tools on a commercial silicon cantilever. Such a combined device enables a dual-mode usage of both AFM and NSOM measurements when collecting the reflected light directly from the scanned surface, while having a more efficient light collection process. In addition to its quite simple fabrication process, it is demonstrated that the AFM tip on which the photodetector is processed remains operational (i.e., the AFM imaging capability is not altered by the process). The AFM–NSOM capability of the processed tip is presented, and preliminary results show that AFM capability is not significantly affected and there is an improvement in surface characterization in the scanning proof of concept.
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Keywords:
near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM); atomic force microscope (AFM); dual-mode; silicon; photodetector; pinhole subwavelength aperture; signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Karelits, M.; Lozitsky, E.; Chelly, A.; Zalevsky, Z.; Karsenty, A. Advanced Surface Probing Using a Dual-Mode NSOM–AFM Silicon-Based Photosensor. Nanomaterials 2019, 9, 1792.
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