A novel concept for the fabrication ofnanostructured probe tips for application in scanning near-fieldoptical microscopy (SNOM) based on micromachining and thin-film technology is presented. This concept allows for thereproducible batch fabrication of aperture probe tips consistingof a transparent silicon nitride cone with a sharp tip apexsurrounded by a metallic coating. Furthermore, the concept canbe extended to the fabrication of probe tips with a coaxialnanostructure or a single nanoelectrode. The tip fabrication canbe integrated into micromachining processes for the batchfabrication of scanning probe microscopy sensors and thereforeleads to new types of multifunctional probes. Here the integrationof the SNOM probe tip into an AFM cantilever equipped with anintegrated optical waveguide designed for simultaneousAFM/SNOM operation is described.
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