title: Near-field reflection backscattering apertureless optical microscopy: application to spectroscopy experiments on opaque samples, comparison between lock-in and digital photon counting detection techniques.
abstract: An apertureless scanning near-field optical microscope (ASNOM) in reflection backscattering configuration is designed to conduct spectroscopic experiments on opaque samples constituted of latex beads. The ASNOM proposed takes advantage of the depth-discrimination properties of confocal microscopes to efficiently extract the near-field optical signal. Given their importance in a spectroscopic experiment, we systematically compare the lock-in and synchronous photon counting detection methods. Some results of Rayleigh's scattering in the near field of the test samples are used to illustrate the possibilities of this technique for reflection backscattering spectroscopy.
authors.affiliation: Institut Charles Delaunay, CNRS FRE 2848, Laboratoire de Nanotechnologie et d'Instrumentation Optique, Université de technologie de Troyes, 12 rue Marie Curie, BP 2060, 10010 Troyes cedex, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Diziain
authors.forename: J-L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bijeon
authors.forename: P-M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Adam
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lamy de la Chapelle
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Déturche
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Royer