Fiber optic probe for near field optical microscopy

Details Fiber optic probe for near field optical microscopy Fiber optic probe for near field optical microscopy

1994-10-13

1996-01-16

Healy, Brian

Optical waveguides

With optical coupler

Input/output coupler

385 12, 385 15, 385 39, 385 43, 385123, 385127, 385128, 385901, 250306, 250311, 359368, G02B 626, G02B 2100, G01N 2300

Patent

active

054855365

ABSTRACT:
The near field optical microscopy probe has a conically tapered tip formed from the inner core of a fiber optic cable. The tapered tip protrudes longitudinally from the outer cladding and has a metallized optically opaque coating over all the tip except for the light-emitting aperture at the tip apex. The optical probe is manufactured by wet chemical etching. The protruding conical tip tapers at an acute angle on the order of about 15.degree. to 35.degree., such that the tip length is on the order of a few wavelengths. By this construction, illumination traverses only a very small nonpropagating mode or evanescent mode region with resulting high optical efficiency. The probe and specimen may be supercooled, causing the metallized coating to be highly conductive and therefore optically opaque. The result is a high efficiency, high resolution probe suitable for such demanding applications as DNA sequencing.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4604520 (1986-08-01), Pohl
patent: 4725727 (1988-02-01), Harder et al.
patent: 4917462 (1990-04-01), Lewis et al.
patent: 5018865 (1991-05-01), Ferrell et al.
patent: 5105305 (1992-04-01), Betzig et al.
patent: 5138159 (1992-08-01), Takase et al.
patent: 5168538 (1992-12-01), Gillespie
patent: 5254854 (1993-10-01), Betzig et al.
patent: 5272330 (1993-12-01), Betzig et al.
patent: 5286970 (1994-02-01), Betzig et al.
patent: 5286971 (1994-02-01), Betzig et al.
patent: 5288996 (1994-02-01), Betzig et al.
patent: 5288997 (1994-02-01), Betzig et al.
patent: 5288998 (1994-02-01), Betzig et al.
patent: 5288999 (1994-02-01), Betzig et al.
patent: 5361314 (1994-11-01), Kopelman et al.
patent: 5394500 (1995-02-01), Marchman
patent: 5395741 (1995-03-01), Marchman
Reddick, R. C. et al. "New Form of Scanning Optical Microscopy," The Americal Physical Society, vol. 39, No. 1, Jan. 1, 1989, pp. 767-770.
Copcoran, Elizabeth, "A Thin Line" Scientific American, Aug. 1990, pp. 98, 100.
Reddick, R. C. et al. "Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscopy," Rev. Sci. Instrum., vol. 61, No. 12, Dec. 1990, pp. 3669-3677.
Ferrell, T. L. et al. "Progress in Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (PSTM)," Ultramicroscopy, Aug. 12, 1991, pp. 408-415.
Pangaribuan, T. et al., "Reproducible Fabrication Technique of Nanometric Tip Diameter Fiber Probe for Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope," Jpn. J. Appl. Phys., vol. 31, Part 2, No. 9A, Sep. 1, 1992. pp. L1302-L1304.
Corcoran, Elizabeth, "Storage Space," Scientific American, Oct. 1992, pp. 110, 112.
Markoff, John, "I.B.M. Disk Crammed With Data", The New York Times, Jun. 2, 1993.
Van Labeke, D. et al. "Probes for Scanning Tunneling Optical Microscopy: a Theoretical Comparison," J. Opt. Soc. Am. A., vol. 10, No. 10, Oct. 1993, pp. 2193-2201.
Bylinsky, Gene, "Genetics The Money Rush Is On," Fortune, May 30, 1994, pp. 94-108.
Pangaribuan, T., et al., "Highly Controllable Fabrication of Fiber Probe for Photon Scanning Tunneling Microscope," Scanning, vol. 16, pp. 362-367 (1994). (no month).

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Fiber optic probe for near field optical microscopy does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Fiber optic probe for near field optical microscopy, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Fiber optic probe for near field optical microscopy will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-315457