Abstract

In scanning near-field optical microscopy¹, an image of the sample with sub-wavelength size structures can be obtained by recording the field intensity collected by the dielectric tip as it scans over the surface. When the substrate is metallic, it can be illuminated with far-field radiation in reflection mode to generate evanescent wave propagating along the surface, and the optical signal is detected at constant height or with constant intensity along the direction parallel to the substrate surface.

© 1998 Optical Society of America