ULTRAMICROSCOPY, vol.71, pp.379-382, 1998 (SCI-Expanded)
We present conclusive experimental quantitative evidence of the resolution limit of uncoated optical fiber probes in the internal reflection mode. Additionally, we present a new technique for unambiguously determining the resolution of a near-field scanning optical microscope without topographical influences. A sample with nearly no topography but with a large dielectric step junction was created by evaporating a thin chromium layer on a silicon wafer and subsequently cleaving the wafer. The cleaved edge is then scanned over the step junction, allowing a quantitative determination of the lateral resolution without topographical influences. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.