Tip-top imaging

Tip-Top Imaging [Microscopy]

Chemical Imaging on the Nanoscale - Top-Illumination Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

A top illumination system for tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) in a gap-mode configuration is presented here, which allows chemical analysis of sample surfaces with a lateral resolution beyond the optical diffraction limit and optical detection of very small amounts of analyte molecules (down to single molecule sensitivity). The technique combines the high resolution of an STM with label-...

Tip-enhanced Raman mapping with top-illumination AFM.

Tip-enhanced Raman mapping is a powerful, emerging technique that offers rich chemical information and high spatial resolution. Currently, most of the successes in tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) measurements are based on the inverted configuration where tips and laser are approaching the sample from opposite sides. This results in the limitation of measurement for transparent samples only...

Quantitative analysis of polarization-controlled tip-enhanced Raman imaging through the evaluation of the tip dipole.

Polarization analysis in tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (TERS) is of tremendous advantage, as it allows one to study highly directional intrinsic properties of a sample at the nanoscale. However, neither evaluation nor control of the polarization properties of near-field light in TERS is as straightforward as in usual far-field illumination, because of the random metallic nanostructure attache...

Small-tip fast recovery imaging using non-slice-selective tailored tip-up pulses and radiofrequency-spoiling.

Small-tip fast recovery (STFR) imaging is a new steady-state imaging sequence that is a potential alternative to balanced steady-state free precession. Under ideal imaging conditions, STFR may provide comparable signal-to-noise ratio and image contrast as balanced steady-state free precession, but without signal variations due to resonance offset. STFR relies on a tailored "tip-up," or "fast re...