Near field scanning optical microscopy
US4917462A · kind A · utility
99Cited by
15References
26Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 16, 1989 |
| Grant date | Apr 17, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 16, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/00
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An aperture probe in the form of a tapered metal-coated glass pipette having a thin tip provides near-field access to a sample for near-field microscopy. The pipette is formed from a glass tube drawn down to a fine tip, and then coated, as by evaporation, by a metallic layer. The central opening of the tube is drawn down to a submicron diameter, and the metal coating is formed with an aperture at that opening. Aperture diameters down to 500 Angstroms diameter are provided. Also disclosed is a microscope utilizing the pipette aperture for scanning near-field imaging of samples.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.