Effect of coherence of the source on the images obtained with a photon scanning tunneling microscope

Opt Lett. 1994 Jul 15;19(14):1082-4. doi: 10.1364/ol.19.001082.

Abstract

The photon scanning tunneling microscope is based on the frustration of a total internal reflection beam by the end of an optical fiber. This microscope has been used to obtain topographic information generally on smooth samples. We compare images obtained with different sources, such as He-Ne and He-Cd lasers and white-light sources, and show the role of the coherence of the source on the formation of the images.