Abstract

In examining a number of objects, such as those displaying small scale topography or refractive-index variations, the scanning optical microscope often results in an image of poor contrast, because the SOM produces a signal even in the absence of structural variations. The dynamic range of the system is thus not fully exploited. In this paper we present a differential amplitude scanning optical microscope (DASOM) which produces a signal only if a structural variation exists between any two adjacent points on the sample.

© 1986 Optical Society of America