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AURORA™

Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope

AURORA™ combines the advantages of optical microscopy with the extremely high resolution (<50nm) of a scanning probe microscope (SPM). By limiting the distance between the fiber optic probe and the sample to a small fraction of a wavelength, AURORA™ breaks the diffraction barrier to spatial resolution. This makes it feasible to employ optical microscopy techniques at resolutions never before possible.

[NSOM-TMV] Near-field TMV

AURORA™ is a near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM), a unique SPM concept, and offers conventional optical characterization and contrast mechanisms with resolution on the scale of SPM techniques. It makes it possible to overcome the optical diffraction limit that restricts the resolution of even confocal microscopy. This resolution break-through can now be applied to polarization, fluorescence and absorption imaging in both transmission and reflection modes.

There are many practical applications for AURORA™:

Biological fluorescence and absorption imaging

Characterizing light-wave devices, such as semiconductor lasers and single-mode optical fibers

Thin-film analysis

High-density data storage

Optical lithography

Polarization imaging of magneto optics and polymers

Spectroscopy, including fluorescence, luminescence and emission experiments

Single molecule detection

[NSOM Liquid] High Resolution NSOM in Liquid

AURORA™ brings to the research microscopist and engineers alike a formidable new tool for analyzing the broadest range of materials. It is an important addition to the continuum of SPM imaging techniques.

There are measurable advantages to imaging with AURORA™. It is completely non-invasive to the sample; it can be used for imaging under any ambient condition, including in liquid; and it produces images to which the human eye and mind directly relate. As an added benefit, an independent topographic map of the sample can be obtained simultaneously with the NSOM image. This provides additional sample information while simplifying optical-image interpretation.

System Operation

AURORA™ is designed to operate as a versatile, variable-magnification optical microscope. A 488nm wavelength laser (other wavelength lasers are also available) is directed through a specially manufactured optical fiber probe onto the sample. The probe has opaque material, such as aluminum, evaporated onto it leaving a small aperture at the tip. The laser light is emitted through this aperture. The probe is modulated and the sample scanned in a raster motion and image data are gathered in either the transmission or reflection mode. The transmission mode is used primarily with transparent materials and those with weak absorbing characteristics, such as biological specimens, and provides a higher signal throughput. The reflection mode is used more often when imaging opaque samples. In this mode, data are gathered primarily from the sample's surface producing excellent resolution.

System Configuration

AURORA™ is a complete SPM system. It features the same, proven piezoelectric scanners and precision optics as all TMX 2000 microscopes. A powerful Pentium 133 MHz computer controls system operation and handles all data management functions. The Electronic Control Unit (ECU-Plus) features high-speed digital signal processing functions.

AURORA™ is a major advance in SPM technology. It is a practical companion to other optical microscopes with the additional benefits of scanning probe microscopy.

TopoMetrix Near-field Scanning Optical Instruments

[Lumina]LUMINA™ [AURORA] AURORA™

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