REFLECTION-MODE SCANNING NEAR-FIELD OPTICAL MICROSCOPY - INFLUENCE OFSAMPLE TYPE, TIP SHAPE, AND POLARIZATION OF LIGHT

A reflection-mode aperture-type scanning near-field optical microscope (R-SNOM) based on the external collection of the reflected light is p resented. The light detection is based on an elliptical mirror setup, with the tip and sample at one focus, and a photomultiplier tube at th e other. Results are presented on the general imaging properties of th is microscope. The results presented concentrate on an analysis of the gap-width dependence of the optical signal, on resolution and on the contrast mechanisms which may be used in R-SNOM imaging, including ref lectivity, polarization/magneto-optics, and topographic effects. (C) 1 998 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(98)09503-6].