title: Metal-free scanning optical microscopy with a fractal fiber probe.
abstract: Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy (SNOM) is the leading instrument used to image optical fields on the nanometer scale. A metal-coating is typically applied to SNOM probes to define a subwavelength aperture and minimize optical leakage, but the presence of such coatings in the near field of the sample can often cause a substantial change in the sample emission properties. For the first time, the authors demonstrate near-field imaging on a metal substrate with a metal-free probe made from a novel structured optical fiber, designed to maximize optical throughput and potentially remove the need for the metal.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Rollinson
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Orbons
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Huntington
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Canning
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Love
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Jamieson