Power Efficiency of Tapered Probe and It Influence on Resolution in Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy

Novel optical techniques such as near-field come in a study of local properties of transparent or opaque microscopic structures such as optical waveguides, optoelectronic integrated circuits, photonic crystals, semiconductor interfaces, nanostructured systems. To control a light-matter interaction at nanometer distance, structures guiding electromagnetic energy with lateral mode confinement below the diffraction limit of light are necessary. Tapered optical fiber probe is a crucial part of the system, governs its resolution, and simultaneously could play role as light source and/or detector. The paper brings a simulation of losses, taking into account its correctly described geometry, as well as experimental verification of resolution obtained with this probe.