title: Nano-slit probes for near-field optical microscopy fabricated by focused ion beams.
abstract: The near-field probes described in this paper are based on metallized non-contact atomic force microscope cantilevers made of silicon. For application in high-resolution near-field optical/infrared microscopy, we use aperture probes with the aperture being fabricated by focused ion beams. This technique allows us to create apertures of sub-wavelength dimensions with different geometries. In this paper we present the use of slit-shaped apertures which show a polarization-dependent transmission efficiency and a lateral resolution of < 100 nm at a wavelength of 1064 nm. As a test sample to characterize the near-field probes we investigated gold/palladium structures, deposited on an ultrathin chromium sublayer on a silicon wafer, in constant-height mode.
authors.affiliation: Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Braunschweig, Germany. Hans-Ulrich.Danzebrink@ptb.de
authors.forename: H U
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Danzebrink
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dziomba
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sulzbach
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ohlsson
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lehrer
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frey