Nanonics Microscopes Can Use Any Probe

 

Near-field optics can employ many different probes. One such probe is a silicon cantilever with an aperture and this probe which can be used with Nanonics Systems can be purchased from Nascatec [http://www.nascatec.com/]. 


Although all Nanonics platforms allow for the use of such a probe, these probes do not exhibit the exposed probe tip geometry of glass probes and do not emulate the guiding of light that is inherent in an optical fiber. 


A prerequisite for producing light at the tip of such silicon based NSOM apertures is the ability to bring a lens in close proximity to the back side of the probe and this is of course possible with Nanonics platforms. However, large fluences of light from the lens of the microscope are needed to illuminate the aperture. This results in a large amount of scattering and a reduction in the signal to noise. Because there is no exposed probe geometry in these probes an on-line separate illumination or collection channel with the lens of the optical microscope is not possible, since the microscope lens is dedicated to illuminate the aperture. As a result reflection imaging becomes difficult, and the lack of light guiding abilities does not permit scanning the probe such as in collection mode imaging.