Fabrication and characterization of a silicon cantilever probe with an integrated quartz-glass (fused-silica) tip for scanning near-field optical microscopy

A cantilever-based probe is introduced for use in scanning near-field optic al microscopy (SNOM) combined with scanning atomic-force microscopy (AFM). The probes consist of silicon cantilevers with integrated 25-mum-high fused -silica tips. The probes are batch fabricated by microfabrication technolog y. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that the transparent quartz tip s are completely covered with an opaque aluminum layer before the SNOM meas urement. Static and dynamic AFM imaging was performed. SNOM imaging in tran smission mode of single fluorescent molecules shows an optical resolution b etter than 32 nm. (C) 2001 Optical Society of America.