Metal-free scanning optical microscopy with a fractal fiber probe.
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.
Rollinson
C M
CM
School of Physics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
Orbons
S M
SM
Huntington
S T
ST
Gibson
B C
BC
Canning
J
J
Love
J D
JD
Roberts
A
A
Jamieson
D N
DN