Nearfield scanning optical microscopy

Kwak, E. S. and Vanden Bout, D. A. (2003). Fully time-resolved nearfield scanning optical microscopy fluorescence imaging. Anal. Chim. Acta 496, 259-66. 

The resolution of a conventional microcope is limited by the classical phenomena of interference and diffraction. The limit is approximately X/2, X being the wavelength. This limit can be overcome by using a sub-wavelength light source and by placing the sample very close to this source (i.e. in the near field). The relevant domain is near-field optics (as opposed to far-field conventional optics), which has been applied to microscopy, spectroscopy and optical sensors. In particular, nearfield scanning optical microscopy (N SOM) has proved to be a powerful tool in physical, chemical and life sciences (Dunn, 1999). 

H. Shiku and R. C. Dunn, Domain formation in thin lipid films probed with nearfield scanning optical microscopy, J. Microscopy, 194 (1998) 455-460. 

R.D. Schaffer, L.F. Lee, J.C. Johnson, L.H. Haber, R.J. SaykaUy, J. Vieceli, I. Benjamin, T.Q. Nguyen, and B.J. Schwartz, The nature of interchain excitations in conjugated polymers Spatially-varying interfacial solvatochromism of annealed MEH-PPV films studied by nearfield scanning optical microscopy (NSOM). J. Phys. Chem. B, 106, 9496 (2002). 

Higgins, D. A., E. Mei and X. Liao (1999). "Electric-field-induced molecular reorientation dynamics by nearfield scanning optical microscopy." Proceedings of SPIE-The International Society for Optical Engineering 3607(Scanning and Force Microscopies for Biomedical Applications) 26-35. 

Koopman, M. et al (2004) Nearfield scanning optical microscopy in liquid for high resolution single molecule detection on dendritic cells. FEES Lett, 573, 6-10. doi ... 

Hollars, C. W Dunn, R. C. Submicron fluorescence, topology, and compliance measurements of phase-separated lipid monolayers using tapping-mode nearfield scanning optical microscopy. J. Phys. Chem. B 1997, 101, 6313-6317. 

Atomic Force Microscopy, Scanning Nearfield Optical Microscopy and Nanoscratching... 

A wide variety of measurements ean now be made on single molecules, including electrical (e.g. scanning tunnelling microscopy), magnetic (e.g. spin resonance), force (e.g. atomie force microscopy), optical (e.g. nearfield and far-field fluorescence mieroscopies) and hybrid techniques. This contribution addresses only those techniques that are at least partially optical. Single-particle electrical and force measurements are discussed in the sections on scanning probe microscopies (B1.19) and surface forees apparatus (B1.20). 

This section describes the principals and practical application of Raman scanning nearfield optical microscopy (RSNOM). The fundamental aim of this technique is to obtain Raman spectroscopic data with a spatial resolution much greater than is possible with conventional micro-Raman techniques. 

A Drabenstedt, J Wrachtrup, C von Borezyskowski. A distance regulation scheme for scanning nearfield optical microscopy. Appl Phys Lett 68 3497-3499, 1996. 

---