Improved Probes for Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy

Vastly improved fiber probes for SNOM microscopy are the result of a new chemical etching method. The optical fiber's protective polymer coating is left on during the etching process, which gives rise to greatly improved tip surfaces (see Figure, right). The tips have a much higher damage threshold, allowing brighter transmission and opening the door to Raman imaging (e.g. of DNA) and laser ablation.