Fibre-top atomic force microscope probe with optical near-field detection capabilities

We present a fibre-top probe fabricated by carving a tipped cantilever on an optical fibre, with the tip machined in correspondence of the fibre core. When approached to an optical prism illuminated under total internal reflection conditions, the tip of the cantilever detects the optical tunnelling signal, while the light coupled from the opposite end of the fibre measures the deflection of the cantilever. Our results suggest that fibre-top technology can be used for the development of a new generation of hybrid probes that can combine atomic force microscopy with scanning near field optical microscopy.