METHOD FOR OBSERVING SAMPLE BY SCANNING PROXIMITY FIELD OPTICAL MICROSCOPE AND ULTRA-FLAT SAPPHIRE SUBSTRATE FOR SCANNING PROXIMITY FIELD OPTICAL MICROSCOPE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable an improved AFM(atomic force microscope) image and a luminous image to be observed for II-VI, III to V, and IV-group semiconductors and quantum structure bodies with optical characteristic especially at red, blue, and ultraviolet regions by using an ultra-flat sapphire substrate as a sample substrate. SOLUTION: A sample is observed by a scanning proximity field optical microscope with an ultraviolet fiber probe 1 by using an ultra-flat sapphire substrate 2 where for example a general sapphire substrate is annealed at 1,000-1,400 deg.C for flattening in units of atomic layers. Since the ultra-flat sapphire substrate 2 can be made flatter than the sample, the influence to a sample emission image due to a substrate itself can be suppressed extremely and resolution can be improved. Also, the sapphire substrate 2 has a high transmittance from an ultraviolet region to a near-infrared region, so that the amount of absorption of ultraviolet emission from the sample can be reduced extremely and the AFM image and emission image of the sample using the ultraviolet fiber probe 1 can be obtained with further high resolution. Further, it has a hydrophobicity so that it is suited for observing a hydrophobic sample such as polysilane.