Microscopy

Near-field optics – light microscopy for nanoscience

04.05.2006 - Photonik international /2006 |  [ deutsche Version lesen ]

Optical phenomena on a scale smaller than the wavelength of light are gaining more and more importance for Nanoscience. Near-field optical microscopy enables one to image such phenomena well beyond the diffraction limit as illustrated here with two examples: near-field fluorescence microscopy of the nuclear membrane of a biological cell and near-field transmission microscopy of metallic nanostructures. Key to the proper function of a near-field microscope is the near-field probe. We present here two different concepts: a probe based on a triangular aperture in an other­wise opaque metal film and a gold-coated glass tetrahedron functioning as a nano-antenna.

Photonik I/2006
Authors: Ulrich Fischer, University of Münster, Germany; Andreas Naber, University of Karlsruhe (TH), Germany

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