NANOSTRUCTURING WITH LASER-RADIATION IN THE NEARFIELD OF A TIP FROM ASCANNING FORCE MICROSCOPE

We report preliminary results of using an SFM(Scanning Force Microscop e)/laser combination in FOLANT configuration (FOcusing of LAserradiati on in Nearfield of a Tip) to perform nanostructuring on insulator and metal surfaces in air. This technique is based on local intensity enha ncement of laser radiation in the nearfield of a tip and enables proce ssing of structures with a lateral resolution of approximately 10 nm. The structuring has been carried out on polycarbonate and metal (gold) surfaces - appropriate materials for data storage applications - as w ell as on organic media to demonstrate possible applications in biotec hnology. Some details of nanostructuring mechanisms are discussed.