Modified fabrication process for aperture probe cantilevers

We report the development of cantilever- and fibre-based probes for scanning near-field optical microscopy. Both probe concepts rely on the integration of a microfabricated aperture tip with reproducible optical and mechanical properties. Numerical calculations were carried out using a finite integration code to investigate the polarization-sensitive transmission behaviour of aperture tips. In order to establish technological guidelines for the optimization of the properties of the optical tip the distinct influence of the tip geometry on the intensity distribution in the vicinity of the aperture is studied in detail.