Abstract
We investigate the effectiveness of differential detection, which is a combination of probe-dithering and synchronous detection, in discriminating near-field light interaction from background light interaction in apertureless near-field optical microscopy (NSOM). The lateral differential NSOM with a photocantilever is more effective than the vertical differential detection, which does not always provide sufficient discrimination. The V-dithering-based lateral differential detection provides apertureless NSOM that can image the optical coupling between sample and probe dipoles, which is an interaction through near-field light.
