Highly efficient near-field probes

The highly efficient near-field probes are discussed. In the near-field optical system, the object and the optical system must be closer than the wavelength of light that was used to illuminate the object. The fabrication procedure involves a photoresist exposure, development, and ion milling, with which the glass was etched into the desired probe tip array. It was found that a combination of dielectric apertures and solid immersion lens optics provide both a small spot size and high coupling efficiency.