| In this thesis, conventional atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilevers are utilized to fabricate two new different near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM)/AFM probes. These hybrid probes were utilized for live cell imaging measurements of human arterial smooth muscle (HASM) cells with sub-diffraction spatial resolution. The first design employs a high refractive index gallium phosphide (GaP) attached to the tip of a commercially available AFM cantilever. The GaP is shaped into a pyramid using focused ion beam (FIB) technology, coated with aluminum to confine the light, and cut with the FIB to produce an aperture at the end of the pyramid. The second NSOM/AFM probe design utilizes a tapered fiber optic probe as a light wave-guide at the tip of the AFM cantilever. High-resolution topographical and optical images of living HASM cells taken using these microfabricated NSOM/AFM probe designs were obtained. These measurements represent the first successful NSOM measurements on living cells under buffered conditions. The success of the microfabricated NSOM/AFM probes for live cell imaging opens up new possibilities for probing biological structures, such as lipid raft domains, directly on the length scales they are thought to exist. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
