Realizing Ultrahigh Resolution in a Near-Field Optical Microscope.

Apertureless scanning near field optical microscope with sub-10nm resolution

Apertureless near-field optical microscope

We demonstrate a new method whereby near-field optical microscope resolution can be extended to the nanometer regime. The technique is based on measuring the modulation of the scattered electric field from the end of a sharp silicon tip as it is stabilized and scanned in close proximity to a sample surface. Our initial results demonstrate resolution in the 3 nm range--comparable to what can be ...

Near-field scanning optical microscope probe analysis.

In this article results of a comparison of two NSOM probe characterization methods are presented. Scanning electron microscopy analysis combined with electromagnetic field modeling using the finite difference in time domain method are compared with measured far-field radiation diagrams of NSOM probes. It is shown that measurement of far-field radiation diagrams can be an efficient tool for dail...

Near-field Scanning Optical Microscope Platform

Near-field optical microscope using a silicon-nitride probe

Operation of an alternative near-field optical microscope is presented. The microscope uses a microfabricated silicon-nitride probe with integrated cantilever, as originally developed for force microscopy. The cantilever allows routine close contact near-field imaging on arbitrary surfaces without tip destruction. The effect of adhesion forces on the coupling to the evanescent wave has been obs...