Correlation Nanoscopy Using Probe-Assisted Techniques for Optical Analysis at Nanoscale

Recent advancements in scanning probe microscopy (SPM), particularly probe-assisted techniques like scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) and atomic force microscopy-based infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR), have significantly enhanced the precision of nanoscale optical and mechanical analysis. These techniques are now key in achieving sub-diffraction-limited spatial resolution (10-20 nm), providing new opportunities to correlate chemical, electrical, and mechanical properties at the nanoscale across various material systems.
s-SNOM, by confining light at the apex of an AFM tip, and AFM-IR, combining the chemical specificity of infrared spectroscopy with AFM’s spatial resolution, have been pivotal in studying a wide array of materials. Applications span from semiconductors, where s-SNOM has revealed critical insights into dopant distribution and carrier mobility, to polymers where AFM-IR has been used to analyze phase separation and interfacial chemistry. Furthermore, combining these with other SPM modalities, such as Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM), allows for comprehensive characterization of electronic and optoelectronic materials. For example, studies on SRAM devices have mapped charge carrier density and work function at nanoscale resolutions, providing insights crucial for developing next-generation semiconductor devices.
Moreover, recent developments have pushed these techniques toward operando capabilities, allowing real-time imaging of dynamic processes in energy storage materials such as battery electrodes. Correlative nanoscopy also enables simultaneous optical, mechanical, and electrical property mapping in quantum materials, organic semiconductors, and biomaterials, further expanding their utility.
The continual advancement of SPM techniques promises to further expand our ability to probe nanoscale phenomena across a broad spectrum of research fields, including quantum materials, layered semiconductors, and energy materials, all of which are at the forefront of modern technological development.

In this talk, we will explain the basics of the AFM-assisted nanoscale optical analysis techniques and will present recent application examples of correlation nanoscopy.