| This thesis presents the design and fabrication of a combined atomic force microscope/near-field optical microscope probe based on a double-sided micromachining technique allowing for high-yield batch fabrication. The probes consist of a hollow pyramidal metal tip, nanometer diameter aperture, silicon cantilever and holder. By circumventing the need for anodic bonding between the cantilever and holder, stresses in the probes are minimized. A finite-difference time-domain software suite is also developed. Using this software suite, two apertured near-field optical probe designs, a micro-layer probe, featuring a high index gallium phosphide evaporated layer, and a microsphere probe incorporating a silica microsphere lens, demonstrate an intensity throughput several orders of magnitude greater than conventional fiber-based probes. This software suite is also utilized to model ultrashort pulse propagation through metallic nano-arrays. The role of impulsively excited surface plasmons (SP) is investigated as a mechanism for the observed enhanced transmission, re-radiation and superluminal velocity. |
