Apertureless near-field optical microscopy: A study of the local tip field enhancement using photosensitive azobenzene-containing films

An extensive experimental study of field enhancement at the extremity of apertureless probes used in scanning near-field optical microscopy was presented. This study was made possible by the use of self-developing photosensitive azobenzene-containing films. The energy transfer between the tip and the azobenzene molecules which was at the origin of the topography formation was studied on the nanometer scale. This study established the quantitative connections between tip field features and obtained topography.