Apertureless Near-Field Second Harmonic Microscopy with Bare Tapered Optical Fiber Tips

We present a near-field optical technique for second harmonic imaging using bare tapered optical fiber tip illuminated with femtosecond laser pulses. Enhancement of electric field at the tip of the fiber results in enhanced second harmonic generation (SHG) from the sample region near the tip. This SH emission is collected by the same tapered fiber. Spatial distribution of SHG from thin ferroelectric Pb(Zr_xTi_1-x)O_3 films and model metal-ferroelectric devices has been studied. Spatial resolution on the order of 80 nm has been achieved. This is the first time diffraction limit is surpassed in SH microscopic measurements. Electric field induced changes in SHG from individual grains and/or domains of ferroelectric thin films have been observed.