Improvement and application of scanning near field optical microscope based on a piezoelectric bimorph shear force beam

A non-optical shear-force detection method to control the probe-simple distance for a scanning near field optical microscope (SNOM) is proposed. A rectangular piezoelectric bimorph. beam is designed so that one piezo layer of the beam is used for vibrating the scanning probe and the other for detecting the vibration. Optical fiber probe is attached on one side of the beam to detect the shear force. When the beam is excited at resonance by the stimulation piezo layer, the other detecting layer can generate a maximum piezo voltage. The amplitude of the piezo voltage will decrease as the fiber tip gets close to the sample because of the shear force interaction experienced by the tip. The oscillating amplitude change, picked up from the detecting piezo layer, severe as feedback and shear force imaging signal. Shear force topographic and optical images of mother disc of compact disk and multicomponent compounds (Rb0.5Cs0.5Ag4I5) thin films have been taken. The results show that the improved system is easy-to-use and fit for Study of various thin films.