Abstract: An opening fabricating apparatus for creating an opening with desired dimensions at a mask tip of a near-field optical microscope, and a near-field optical microscope using the same are provided. The apparatus comprising: a light source 116; reflection means 140; light detection means 124; press means 128, 130 pressing a probe tip against said reflection means; storage means 142; calculation means 144 figuring out the quantity of light of the reflected light for the acquisition of said opening with desired dimensions from the calibration information stored in said storage means; and press control means 126 controlling pressing of said probe tip against said reflection means so as to allow the quantity of light of said reflected light to become equal to the quantity figured out by said calculation means. The probe opening fabricating apparatus is capable of readily fabricating an opening of desired dimensions with a high reproducibility.

Abstract: An opening fabricating apparatus for creating an opening with desired dimensions at a mask tip of a near-field optical microscope, and a near-field optical microscope using the same are provided. The apparatus comprising: a light source 116; reflection means 140; light detection means 124; press means 128, 130 pressing a probe tip against said reflection means; storage means 142; calculation means 144 figuring out the quantity of light of the reflected light for the acquisition of said opening with desired dimensions from the calibration information stored in said storage means; and press control means 126 controlling pressing of said probe tip against said reflection means so as to allow the quantity of light of said reflected light to become equal to the quantity figured out by said calculation means. The probe opening fabricating apparatus is capable of readily fabricating an opening of desired dimensions with a high reproducibility.

Abstract: An opening fabricating apparatus for creating an opening with desired dimensions at a mask tip of a near-field optical microscope, and a near-field optical microscope using the same are provided. The apparatus comprising: a light source 116; reflection means 140; light detection means 124; press means 128, 130 pressing a probe tip against said reflection means; storage means 142; calculation means 144 figuring out the quantity of light of the reflected light for the acquisition of said opening with desired dimensions from the calibration information stored in said storage means; and press control means 126 controlling pressing of said probe tip against said reflection means so as to allow the quantity of light of said reflected light to become equal to the quantity figured out by said calculation means. The probe opening fabricating apparatus is capable of readily fabricating an opening of desired dimensions with a high reproducibility.

Abstract: An opening fabricating apparatus for creating an opening with desired dimensions at a mask tip of a near-field optical microscope, and a near-field optical microscope using the same are provided. The apparatus comprising: a light source 116; reflection means 140; light detection means 124; press means 128, 130 pressing a probe tip against said reflection means; storage means 142; calculation means 144 figuring out the quantity of light of the reflected light for the acquisition of said opening with desired dimensions from the calibration information stored in said storage means; and press control means 126 controlling pressing of said probe tip against said reflection means so as to allow the quantity of light of said reflected light to become equal to the quantity figured out by said calculation means. The probe opening fabricating apparatus is capable of readily fabricating an opening of desired dimensions with a high reproducibility.

Abstract: The near-field spectrometer 10 comprises a Z-axis scanner 18, 20 for bringing a sample 24 and the tip of a probe 12 close to each other at a predetermined distance within a near-field 26 region when obtaining near-field spectral information and separating them from each other at a predetermined distance outside a near-field 26 region when obtaining back ground spectral information, and a data processor 22 for obtaining the true near-field spectral information free from the background by subtracting the background spectral information from the near-field spectral information, characterized in that a background information collector, during the separation of the sample 24 and the tip of the probe 12 at a predetermined distance outside the near-field 26 region, obtains the background spectral information for the corresponding portion to be measured.

Abstract: A near-field microscope comprising: a probe for scattering a near-field light; light emitting device including a light source for emitting light to a sample or said probe; and light sampling device for sampling and detecting a light that includes information of the sample scattered by said probe, said microscope comprising: control device for spacing said sample or probe from a field of a near-field light generated by said light emission or disposing the sample or probe at a position that is shallow in a field of near-field light, thereby detecting a noise by said light sampling device; inserting said sample or probe deeply into a field of near-field light generated by said light emission, thereby detecting light intensity by said light sampling device; and computing device for computing a measurement result obtained by subtracting a noise from said light intensity.

Abstract: A probe opening forming apparatus 139 comprising: light detecting means 140 for detecting a quantity of a light transmitted from a tip portion of the probe through a light of the source 116, which is on contact with the tip portion of the probe; storage means 142 for previously storing information about relation of the quantity of the light transmitted from the tip portion of the probe and the size of the opening; calculating means 144 for obtaining the value of the light quantity for obtaining an opening having a desirable size based on the information stored in the storage means 142; and pressing control means 126 for controlling the press of the tip portion of the probe against the light detecting means through the pressing means 114 such that a light quantity detected by the light detecting means 140 is equal to the light quantity calculated from the calculating means 144.

Abstract: The object of the invention is to provide a near-field spectrometer that can efficiently obtain a true spectral information.

Abstract: An opening fabricating apparatus for creating an opening with desired dimensions at a mask tip of a near-field optical microscope, and a near-field optical microscope using the same are provided The apparatus comprising a light source 116, reflection means 140, light detection means 124, press means 128, 130 pressing a probe tip against said reflection means, storage means 142, calculation means 144 figuring out the quantity of light of the reflected light for the acquisition of said opening with desired dimensions from the calibration information stored in said storage means, and press control means 126 controlling pressing of said probe tip against said reflection means so as to allow the quantity of light of said reflected light to become equal to the quantity figured out by said calculation means The probe opening fabricating apparatus is capable of readily fabricating an opening of desired dimensions with a high reproducibility

Abstract: A scattering type near-field probe for use in a near-field optical apparatus, capable of freely controlling its probe shape, having a high lot-to-lot shape stability, and improving the lot-to-lot resonant frequency offset, is provided The probe of the invention comprises a glass fiber having at its extremity a core projecting portion coated with a metal. A method of manufacturing thereof comprises the steps of: forming the core projecting portion at an extremity of the glass fiber, by etching the extremity of the glass fiber using chemical etching process; and coating the core projecting portion with a metal.

Abstract: In a probe microscope 120 for causing a sample 112 and a tip portion 118a of a probe 118 on the sample side to approach each other, detecting an interaction between the sample 112 and the sample-side probe tip portion 118a, and obtaining surface information of the sample 112 from the interaction, the probe 118 being a flexible needle-like probe; the probe microscope 120 comprises vibrating means 122 capable of rotating the probe 118 while flexing the sample-side tip portion 118a thereof so as to draw a circle having a size corresponding to an increase and decrease in the interaction between the sample surface 112 and the tip portion 118a, and detecting means 124 for detecting the increase and decrease in the size of the circle drawn by the sample-side probe tip portion 118a due to the interaction and obtaining, from the increase and decrease in the size of the circle, information about the distance between the sample 112 and the sample-side probe tip portion 118a.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a probe that may correspond to various styles of measurement when used in microscopes and that is also applicable to recording devices and an optical head using the same, as well as to provide a method for manufacturing such a probe in a simple and costless manner; for achieving such objects, the method for manufacturing a multiple optical path array type probe according to the present invention is arranged in that in a light guiding material including a substrate that functions as a clad and a light guiding path formed of a component that functions as a core for guiding light or as a waveguide, the light guiding material includes a plurality of light guiding paths aligned to be parallel to each other within the substrate that functions as a clad, and tip end portions of the light guiding paths are sharpened through chemical etching of an end surface that is orthogonal to the plurality of light guiding paths.

Abstract: A near-field microscope comprising: a probe for scattering a near-field light; light emitting device including a light source for emitting light to a sample or said probe; and light sampling device for sampling and detecting a light that includes information of the sample scattered by said probe, said microscope comprising: control device for spacing said sample or probe from a field of a near-field light generated by said light emission or disposing the sample or probe at a position that is shallow in a field of near-field light, thereby detecting a noise by said light sampling device; inserting said sample or probe deeply into a field of near-field light generated by said light emission, thereby detecting light intensity by said light sampling device; and computing device for computing a measurement result obtained by subtracting a noise from said light intensity

Abstract: A probe opening forming apparatus 139 comprising: light detecting means 140 for detecting a quantity of a light transmitted from a tip portion of the probe through a light of the source 116, which is on contact with the tip portion of the probe; storage means 142 for previously storing information about relation of the quantity of the light transmitted from the tip portion of the probe and the size of the opening; calculating means 144 for obtaining the value of the light quantity for obtaining an opening having a desirable size based on the information stored in the storage means 142; and pressing control means 126 for controlling the press of the tip portion of the probe against the light detecting means through the pressing means 114 such that a light quantity detected by the light detecting means 140 is equal to the light quantity calculated from the calculating means 144.

Abstract: A rangefinder 10 comprises a light source 12 for emitting a luminous flux L1 having a predetermined beam diameter; interfering means 14 which is an object having an optical axis substantially perpendicular to a direction in which the object to be measured can be dislocated, the interfering means 14 having a transmission type diffraction grating 20 as one object for splitting the luminous flux L1 from the light source 12 into two diffraction luminous fluxes L2, L3 having respective directions different from each other, the two diffraction luminous fluxes L2, L3 being caused to impinge on a reflection type diffraction grating 22 as the other object, respective reflection luminous fluxes L2, L3 thereof being superposed on each other again by the transmission type diffraction grating 20 so as to interfere with each other; detecting means 16 for photoelectrically detecting interference light L4 obtained by the interfering means 14; and signal processing means 18 for measuring an intensity change and interference p

Abstract: In a probe microscope 120 for causing a sample 112 and a tip portion 118a of a probe 118 on the sample side to approach each other, detecting an interaction between the sample 112 and the sample-side probe tip portion 118a, and obtaining surface information of the sample 112 from the interaction, the probe 118 being a flexible needle-like probe; the probe microscope 120 comprises vibrating means 122 capable of rotating the probe 118 while flexing the sample-side tip portion 118a thereof so as to draw a circle having a size corresponding to an increase and decrease in the interaction between the sample surface 112 and the tip portion 118a, and detecting means 124 for detecting the increase and decrease in the size of the circle drawn by the sample-side probe tip portion 118a due to the interaction and obtaining, from the increase and decrease in the size of the circle, information about the distance between the sample 112 and the sample-side probe tip portion 118a.