Abstract
Photons can be totally internally reflected at the base of a prism just as free electrons in a metal are reflected at the surface barrier. In an electron scanning-tunneling microscope (ESTM), the electrons can be made to tunnel to a metal probe tip placed near the surface. Similarly, if an optical fiber tip is placed near a prism base, photons which would otherwise be totally internally reflected can tunnel to the tip. A target sample placed on the base modulates the transmission coefficient. As the tip is scanned, the tunneling photons are converted to real photons in the fiber, and the flux can be read by a photomultiplier tube. This is the basis for a new instrument we have developed called a photon scanning–tunneling microscope (PSTM). In both the ESTM and PSTM, the current from the probe tip can be held constant while topographical imaging data are obtained.
© 1989 Optical Society of America
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