The various applications of nanotechnology require to achieve ever-increasing resolutions. Different techniques of scanning probe microscopy are now available (AFM, STM ...), however, highly resolved optical techniques abound, in particular for biology or for the development of new fields of application using opto-electronic nanodevices. Although SNOM (Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy) has allowed to circumvent the limits imposed by diffraction, the "routine" resolutions are currently limited to ~50 nm.

The project addresses the implementation of an innovative concept of active SNOM probes based on second harmonic generation and the application of an original self-assembly technique avoiding delicate nanopositioning or bonding processes.

The main features expected of such multifunctional active SNOM probes, concern an ultimate size of the polymer nanoplot generated at tip apex (<10 nm), an intense emission, stable and spectrally well separated from the source excitation. The project explores the potential of these nanoprobes for imaging optical super-resolution (target resolution better than 10 nm).