CONTACT SCANNING NEAR-FIELD OPTICAL MICROSCOPY

A new method of scanning in near-field optical microscopy, which makes it possible to operate in contact with the experimental sample, is pr oposed and implemented. This method permits the practical utilization of the idea of using the dipole-dipole resonance transfer of excitatio n energy from the active element of the microscope to the sample for a chieving a fundamental improvement in the resolution of near-field opt ical microscopy. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics.