Scanning near-field optical microscopes SNOM

A scanning method for each observation may improve the spatial resolution. A LSM with confocal optics and a scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM) can provide finer spatial resolution with a limit of a few nanometers. The highest... 

Evanescent fields decay rapidly in the distance of sub-microns from some localized surface and cannot be usually observed, but they are enhanced by excitation of SPs and strongly depend upon nanometric structure of ultrathin films. Recently, evanescent fields are of great interest to evaluate nanometric spatial characteristics of ultrathin films and to fabricate ultrahigh-density optical memory, nano-devices, and so on [7]-[9]. And many types of scanning near-field optics microscope (SNOM) utilizing evanescent fields have been developed [10)-[12]. 

In the first part of the chapter several methods used to observe morphology of polymer blends are presented. Various optical microscopic methods are reviewed, including such modem techniques as photon tunneling microscopy (PTM), scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM), phase measurement interference microscopy (PMIM), surface plasmon microscopy (SPM) and optical waveguide microscopy (OWM). Many of these methods have been developed to study surfaces and thin films. However, they can also be applied to polymer blend morphology. 

Amorphous silica nanowires have also been tested for their blue light emission properties by Yu et al. [53]. Silica nanowires that emit blue light would be applicable in both industry and in research. For example, in scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM), the resolution depends on the diameter of the tip and space between the tip and sample. In this respect, silicon nanowires may be used as the optical head in the microscope in order to provide a better resolution. It should also be noted that, aside from applications in industry, silicon nanowires have recently also been of great help in extending our understanding of optical theory and diffraction. 

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