We present a quantitative quasi-analytical model to predict and analyze signals on layered samples measured by infrared scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy. Our model predictions are compared to experimental data and to fully retarded calculations based on a point dipole approximation of the tip. The model is used to study the influence of the tip vibration amplitude and of the tip radius on the near-field contrasts of samples with particularly small variations in the layer thickness. Additionally the influence of a dielectric capping layer on the tip-substrate coupling is analyzed. When inversely applied, our calculation opens the possibility to extract the local layer thickness of thin films or the dielectric functions that allow one to draw conclusions on the material composition, conductivity or crystal structure on the nanoscale.

Plasmonic antennas are crucial components for nano-optics and have been extensively used to enhance sensing, spectroscopy, light emission, photodetection, and others. Recently, there is a trend to search for new plasmonic materials with low intrinsic loss at new plasmon frequencies. As an alternative to metals, polar crystals have a negative real part of permittivity in the Reststrahlen band and support surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs) with weak damping. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the resonance of single circular microcavities in a thin gold film deposited on a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate in the mid-infrared range. Specifically, the negative permittivity of SiC leads to a well-defined, size-tunable SPhP resonance with a Q factor of around 60 which is much higher than those in surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonators with similar structures. These infrared resonant microcavities provide new possibilities for widespread applications such as enhanced spectroscopy, sensing, coherent thermal emission, and infrared photodetectors among others throughout the infrared frequency range.

We report nanoscale-resolved optical investigations on the local material properties of Sb2Te3 hexagonal platelets grown by solvothermal synthesis. Using mid-infrared near-field microscopy, we find a highly symmetric pattern, which is correlated to a growth spiral and which extends over the entire platelet. As the origin of the optical contrast, we identify domains with different densities of charge carriers. On Sb2Te3 samples grown by other means, we did not find a comparable domain structure.

Phase Change Materials (PCM) show two stable states in the solid phase with significantly different optical and electronic properties. They can be switched reversibly between those two states and are promising candidates for future non-volatile memory applications. The development of phase change devices demands characterization tools, yielding information about the switching process at high spatial resolution. Scattering-type Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (s-SNOM) allows for spectroscopic analyses of the different optical properties of the PCMs on the nm-scale. By correlating the optical s-SNOM images with transmission electron microscopy images of the same sample, we unambiguously demonstrate the correlation of the infrared optical contrast with the structural state of the phase change material. The investigated sample consists of sandwiched amorphous and crystalline regions of Ag4 In3 Sb67 Te26 below a 100 nm thick (ZnS)80 - (SiO2)20 capping layer. Our resul ts demonstrate the sensitivity of s-SNOM to small dielectric near-field contrasts even below a comparably thick capping layer (100 nm)

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