Temperature profile of fiber tips used in scanning near-field optical microscopy

Abstract

We have measured the temperature profile of aluminum coated fiber tips used for illumination-mode scanning near-field optical microscopy as a function of the optical input power with a micron sized thermocouple. The temperature coefficients vary from 20 K/mW for tips with a large cone angle to 60 K/mW for the narrow long ones. Temperatures of up to ≊470 °C have been measured close to the aperture with an optical input power of several mW before thermal damage of the coating occurred. The temperature profiles are analyzed theoretically taking into account the optical absorption, the thermal conductivity of the tip, as well as the heat loss to the environment.