In-situ monitoring of optical near-field material processing by electron microscopes

Lasers are efficient tools in a variety of micro/nanoscale material processing applications. Even though optical imaging techniques offer convenient in-situ monitoring, their spatial resolution is frequently not sufficient for inspecting the detailed phenomena occurring in micro/nano structures, hence requiring additional characterization tools. Besides the inconvenience, critical processing parameters cannot be readily determined ex situ. In this study, an example of an in-situ monitoring technique for micro/nanoscale laser processing is demonstrated by combining the optical near-field apparatus with a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In-situ process monitoring under true optical near-field configuration is realized through orthogonal probe manipulation and combined probe-sample translation and tilting apparatus. Catalyst behavior under a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) gas environment coupled with near-field illumination is monitored in an environmental SEM.