Fabrication of Near-field Scanning Optical Microscope(NSOM) Probe by Chemical Etching

화학적 식각을 이용한 근접장 주사 현미경용 탐침의 제작

In near field optics, optical fiber probe is smaller than the wavelength of light. This small probe makes it possible to overcome the diffraction limit due to wave property of light. In conventional optical systems, the image resolution is governed by wavelength. But in NSOM, it is determined by probe tip size and probe shape. Therefore probe tip size and shape are very important points in near field optics. In this paper, we will suggest the new fabrication methods of optical fiber probe and show that the probe tip size is sub-micrometer using SEM.