A method for testing an integrated circuit (IC) using a nanoprobe, by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to register the nanoprobe to an identified feature on the IC; navigating the nanoprobe to a region of interest; scanning the nanoprobe over the surface of the IC while reading data from the nanoprobe; when the data from the nanoprobe indicates that the nanoprobe traverse a feature of interest, decelerating the scanning speed of the nanoprobe and performing testing of the IC. The scanning can be done at a prescribed nanoprobe tip force, and during the step of decelerating the scanning speed, the method further includes increasing the nanoprobe tip force.

A microscope or endoscope, comprising a light condenser (such as an objective lens), and an array of micro-lenses (such as supported on a transparent plate), wherein the micro-lenses are arranged spatially to correspond in enlarged form to respective sub-resolution objects or point observational fields on or within a specimen that are separated from one another by an optically resolvable distance and to receive light from the sub-resolution objects or point observational fields, and each of the micro-lenses is arranged to converge light from the respective corresponding sub-resolution object or point observational field to a diffraction limited spot at an image plane.

A microscope or endoscope, comprising a light condenser (such as an objective lens), and an array of micro-lenses (such as supported on a transparent plate), wherein the micro-lenses are arranged spatially to correspond in enlarged form to respective sub-resolution objects or point observational fields on or within a specimen that are separated from one another by an optically resolvable distance and to receive light from the sub-resolution objects or point observational fields, and each of the micro-lenses is arranged to converge light from the respective corresponding sub-resolution object or point observational field to a diffraction limited spot at an image plane.

An apparatus for manipulating surface near-field light resulting from light emitted from a light source that passes through a scattering layer is disclosed. Also, a method of finding a phase of incident light to cause constructive interference at a target spot using light scattering to manipulate the surface near-field.

An apparatus for manipulating surface near-field light resulting from light emitted from a light source that passes through a scattering layer is disclosed. Also, a method of finding a phase of incident light to cause constructive interference at a target spot using light scattering to manipulate the surface near-field.

This invention involves measurement of optical properties of materials with sub-micron spatial resolution through infrared scattering scanning near field optical microscopy (s-SNOM). Specifically, the current invention provides substantial improvements over the prior art by achieving high signal to noise, high measurement speed and high accuracy of optical amplitude and phase. Additionally, it some embodiments, it eliminates the need for an in situ reference to calculate wavelength dependent spectra of optical phase, or absorption spectra. These goals are achieved via improved asymmetric interferometry where the near-field scattered light is interfered with a reference beam in an interferometer. The invention achieves dramatic improvements in background rejection by arranging a reference beam that is much more intense than the background scattered radiation. Combined with frequency selective demodulation techniques, the near-field scattered light can be efficiently and accurately discriminated from background scattered light. These goals are achieved via a range of improvements including a large dynamic range detector, careful control of relative beam intensities, and high bandwidth demodulation techniques. In other embodiments, phase and amplitude stability are improved with a novel s-SNOM configuration. In other embodiments an absorption spectrum may be obtained directly by comparing properties from a known and unknown region of a sample as a function of illumination center wavelength.

This invention involves measurement of optical properties of materials with sub-micron spatial resolution through infrared scattering scanning near field optical microscopy (s-SNOM). Specifically, the current invention provides substantial improvements over the prior art by achieving high signal to noise, high measurement speed and high accuracy of optical amplitude and phase. Additionally, it some embodiments, it eliminates the need for an in situ reference to calculate wavelength dependent spectra of optical phase, or absorption spectra. These goals are achieved via improved asymmetric interferometry where the near-field scattered light is interfered with a reference beam in an interferometer. The invention achieves dramatic improvements in background rejection by arranging a reference beam that is much more intense than the background scattered radiation. Combined with frequency selective demodulation techniques, the near-field scattered light can be efficiently and accurately discriminated from background scattered light. These goals are achieved via a range of improvements including a large dynamic range detector, careful control of relative beam intensities, and high bandwidth demodulation techniques. In other embodiments, phase and amplitude stability are improved with a novel s-SNOM configuration. In other embodiments an absorption spectrum may be obtained directly by comparing properties from a known and unknown region of a sample as a function of illumination center wavelength.

A method of scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) comprises placing an s-SNOM tip 11 at a near-field distance from a sample 1 and subjecting the s-SNOM tip 11 to a mechanical oscillation, which provides a primary modulation, illuminating the oscillating s-SNOM tip 11 with a sequence of illumination light pulses, wherein each of the illumination light pulses hits the s-SNOM tip 11 at a specific s-SNOM tip modulation phase i of the mechanical oscillation, collecting scattering light pulse amplitudes Si, each being created by scattering one of the illumination light pulses at the s-SNOM tip 11, using a scattering light detector device 30, collecting the s-SNOM tip modulation phase i associated to each of the collected scattering light pulse amplitudes Si, using a mechanical oscillation detector device 40, and calculating an s-SNOM near-field signal by demodulating a scattering light function S(i) of the scattering light pulse amplitudes Si in dependency on the s-SNOM tip modulation phases i, wherein each of the s-SNOM tip modulation phases pi is obtained by splitting an output signal of the mechanical oscillation detector device 40 into a first output signal portion X and a second output signal portion Y being phaseshifted relative to the first output signal portion X and calculating the s-SNOM tip modulation phase i of the primary modulation from the first and second output signal portions X, Y. Furthermore, a scanning near-field optical microscopy apparatus 100 is described.

A method of scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM) comprises placing an s-SNOM tip 11 at a near-field distance from a sample 1 and subjecting the s-SNOM tip 11 to a mechanical oscillation, which provides a primary modulation, illuminating the oscillating s-SNOM tip 11 with a sequence of illumination light pulses, wherein each of the illumination light pulses hits the s-SNOM tip 11 at a specific s-SNOM tip modulation phase i of the mechanical oscillation, collecting scattering light pulse amplitudes Si, each being created by scattering one of the illumination light pulses at the s-SNOM tip 11, using a scattering light detector device 30, collecting the s-SNOM tip modulation phase i associated to each of the collected scattering light pulse amplitudes Si, using a mechanical oscillation detector device 40, and calculating an s-SNOM near-field signal by demodulating a scattering light function S(i) of the scattering light pulse amplitudes Si in dependency on the s-SNOM tip modulation phases i, wherein each of the s-SNOM tip modulation phases pi is obtained by splitting an output signal of the mechanical oscillation detector device 40 into a first output signal portion X and a second output signal portion Y being phaseshifted relative to the first output signal portion X and calculating the s-SNOM tip modulation phase i of the primary modulation from the first and second output signal portions X, Y. Furthermore, a scanning near-field optical microscopy apparatus 100 is described.

This invention involves measurement of optical properties of materials with sub-micron spatial resolution through infrared scattering scanning near field optical microscopy (s-SNOM). Specifically, the current invention provides substantial improvements over the prior art by achieving high signal to noise, high measurement speed and high accuracy of optical amplitude and phase. Additionally, it some embodiments, it eliminates the need for an in situ reference to calculate wavelength dependent spectra of optical phase, or absorption spectra. These goals are achieved via improved asymmetric interferometry where the near-field scattered light is interfered with a reference beam in an interferometer. The invention achieves dramatic improvements in background rejection by arranging a reference beam that is much more intense than the background scattered radiation. Combined with frequency selective demodulation techniques, the near-field scattered light can be efficiently and accurately discriminated from background scattered light. These goals are achieved via a range of improvements including a large dynamic range detector, careful control of relative beam intensities, and high bandwidth demodulation techniques. In other embodiments, phase and amplitude stability are improved with a novel s-SNOM configuration. In other embodiments an absorption spectrum may be obtained directly by comparing properties from a known and unknown region of a sample as a function of illumination center wavelength.