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International audience; We report the design of a new type of scanning near-field optical microscopy probes combining the advantages of both tapered optical fibres type and cantilever type commercial scanning near-field optical microscopy probes. The material is an organomineral synthesized by the sol-gel method. This material matches mechanical and optical performances for such a scanning near-field optical microscopy probe fabrication. Numerical calculations were carried out using finite element method in order to study the optical transmission of the probe in emission and collection modes. The influence of the probe geometry on the intensity distribution in the vicinity of the aperture and in the extremity of the cantilever is studied in details.

We have coupled a spectrophotometer with a scanning near-field optical microscope to obtain, with a single scan, simultaneously scanning near-field optical microscope fluorescence images at different wavelengths as well as topography and transmission images. Extraction of the fluorescence spectra enabled us to decompose the different wavelengths of the fluorescence signals which normally overlap. We thus obtained images of the different fluorescence emissions of acridine orange bound to single or double stranded nucleic acids in human metaphase chromosomes before and after DNAse I or RNAse A treatment. The analysis of these images allowed us to visualize some specific chromatin areas where RNA is associated with DNA showing that such a technique could be used to identify multiple components within a cell.

We explain and detail how the specifications of the concerned Scanning Near Field Optical Microscope (SNOM) MOEMS probe determine its structure and fabrication process specifications. The probe consists of a cantilever with a pyramidal tip and a waveguide coupled to a miniature photodetector, the set being integrated on an SU8 chip. The steps of the batch fabrication process are described. The fabricated probes are used as AFM/SNOM sensor allowing the acquisition of both topographic and optical images. We show images obtained on a standard sample. Mechanical characteristics of the fabricated probes are also given.

This paper shows a method to characterize microwave circuits using a near-field scanning microscope. Applied on various samples, it shows good resolution and weak disturbance for ICs operating with very common microwave components. Here, it is applied in an industrial surrounding to characterize the Bluetooth CMOS power amplifier. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 41: 209–213, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20096

Processed InP and GaAs surfaces are studied by synchronous atomic-force (AFM) and photon scanning tunneling microscopy (PSTM). A beam injection system at 1.06 μm in the transparency range of semiconductors is described which makes it possible to perform total internal reflection (TIR) without any specific preparation or shaping on standard wafers.

International audience; A specific experimental Laser Scattering Tomography (LST) acquisition procedure is presented. It is adapted to the characterization of materials containing scattering defects ranging from 1 to 102/mm3. The technique makes it possible to obtain good resolution within a volume chosen to contain a statistically significant defect density. This method is used to show that the gas levitation technique makes it possible to significantly decrease scattering defects in glasses. In parallel, individual study of defects in such glasses is also presented.

International audience; Zinc oxide thin films have been grown on (100)-oriented silicon substrate at a temperature of 100 °C by reactive e-beam evaporation. Structural, electrical and optical characteristics have been compared before and after annealing in air by measurements of X-ray diffraction, real and imaginary parts of the dielectric coefficient, refractive index and electrical resistivity. X-ray diffraction measurements have shown that ZnO films are highly c-axis-oriented with a full width at half maximum (FWMH) lower than 0.5°. The electrical resistivity increases from 10-2 Ω cm to reach a value about 109 H cm after annealing at 750 °C. The FWHM decreases after annealing treatment, which proves the crystal quality improvement. Ellipsometer measurements show the improvement of the refractive index and the real dielectric coefficient after annealing treatment at 750 °C of the ZnO films evaporated by electron beam. Atomic force microscopy shows that the surfaces of the electron beam evaporated ZnO are relatively smooth. Finally, a comparative study on structural and optical properties of the electron beam evaporated ZnO and the rf magnetron deposited one is discussed.

We developed silicon nitride cantilevers integrating a probe tip and a wave guide that is prolonged on the silicon holder with one or two guides. A micro-system is bonded to a photodetector. The resulting hybrid system enables us to obtain simultaneously topographic and optical near-field images. Examples of images obtained on a longitudinal cross-section of an optical fibre are shown.

ISBN: 92-990035-0-5; International audience

ISBN : 92-990035-0-5; International audience