Abstract

A unified approach to the problem of the spatial resolution of near-field optical and tunneling microscopes is proposed. The recording of an optical signal is regarded as plotting the intensity distribution of the electromagnetic field along the trajectory of a virtual infinitely sharp point. Its distance from the sample surface depends on the shape of the field lines and is the main factor that limits the resolution of the device. Estimates are made of the limiting resolution when various types of optical probes are used. © 2004 Optical Society of America

Readout characteristics of a near-field optical probe as a data-storage readout device: submicrometer scan height and resolution

Hiroshi Yoshikawa, Toshifumi Ohkubo, Kenji Fukuzawa, Laurence Bouet, and Manabu Yamamoto
Appl. Opt. 38(5) 863-868 (1999)

Near-field optics with uncoated fiber tips: light confinement and spatial resolution

Sergey I. Bozhevolnyi and Brian Vohnsen
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 14(7) 1656-1663 (1997)

Topographical artifacts and optical resolution in near-field optical microscopy

Sergey I. Bozhevolnyi
J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 14(9) 2254-2259 (1997)

Near-field photodetection with high spatial resolution by nanocrystal quantum dots

M. Hegg and L. Y. Lin
Opt. Express 15(25) 17163-17170 (2007)

Terahertz near-field microscopy with subwavelength spatial resolution based on photoconductive antennas

Andreas Bitzer, Alex Ortner, and Markus Walther
Appl. Opt. 49(19) E1-E6 (2010)