An inverted/scanning near-field optical microscope for applications in materials science and biology

A hybrid conventional inverted/scanning near-field optical microscope (Inverted/SNOM) has been obtained, by coupling an Olympus IX-70 optical microscope with a SNOM head to combine the versatility and ease of use of the conventional microscope with the high-resolution and three-dimensional reconstruction obtainable with the SNOM technique. The head can be run in shear or tapping mode and is optimized to characterize soft, biological samples including living cells in physiological environment by including the SNOM in a cylindrical chamber that insulates it from the external noise, while maintaining a controlled temperature and atmosphere. Applications in the fields of biology and material science are presented.