Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1988 · 25 citations · 0 references
EngineeringBioengineeringBiomedical EngineeringBiomedical ImagingBiomedical OpticsOpticsOptical ImagingSuper-resolution MicroscopyAperture SizeMicroscopyMicroscopy ImagingNear FieldNear-field Optical MicroscopyNear-field ScanningNear-field Scanning Optical MicroscopySample Separation
Superresolution optical images have been generated with near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM). The underlying concept is presented and several modes of operation are discussed. A resolution based on edge sharpness of 70 nm or better has been demonstrated with two different instruments. Images have been obtained which characterize the resolution as a function of two critical parameters: the aperture size and the aperture-sample separation. The near-field images also illustrate novel features resulting from several forms of contrast. Finally, the potential of NSOM is compared with conventional lens-based forms of microscopy as well as with more recent scanned tip methods.