Scanning probe optical microscopy using an integrated submicron organic photodetector

A high-resolution scanning optical microscopy technique is developed by using focused ion beam milling and vacuum thermal evaporation to fabricate an organic photodetector with sub-micron size on a scanning probe cantilever. Optical and topographic data are recorded simultaneously and demonstrate sub-micron resolution. Potential applications of the probe include materials characterization, biology, and nanophotonics, and are aided by the fact that the probe is compatible with conventional atomic force microscopy (AFM) systems and does not suffer some of the practical difficulties of existing near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) systems.