Abstract
In this paper we discuss the mechanisms of image formation in the mid-IR of a transmission mode near-field microscope are studied. It is found that the amount of light propagating from a sub-wavelength aperture through a flat substrate strongly increases the tip nears the same. This effect tends to generate topographic artifacts in near-field images that can be eliminated through the use of flat sample preparation techniques. The transmitted power is strongly influenced by the refractive index of the sample, leading to a substantial difference between a near-field and a far- field spectrum. A phenomenological model, which makes predictions in good agreement with experiment, describing tunneling of light through a sub-wavelength aperture into a substrate is developed. The model predicts spectral sensitivity enhancement with decreasing aperture size.
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