title: Probe design optimization for a high-resolution scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscope.
abstract: The scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM) has a probe with a sharp tip for use in high resolution imaging. As sharp a tip as possible is generally considered ideal for the observations, but actually, a sharp tip does not always provide a high resolution SNOM image. We numerically examined the scattering property of the SNOM probe by the three dimensional finite difference time domain
  
  
  METHODS
  In this paper, we show the criterion for the ideal scattering probe which satisfies the simple relation between radius and taper angle of the tip.
authors: Olympus Optical Co. Ltd., 2-3 Kuboyama-cho, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo, 192-8512, Japan. y_sasaki@ot.olympus.co.jp
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Sasaki
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Sasaki