[Abstract]

This article details the research of super resolution in vibrational microspectroscopy through the use of a nearfi eld microscope, which allows for spatial resolution exceeding the diffraction limit of light. We developed an infrared near-fi eld scanning optical microscope that uses a tunable infrared laser and micro-aperture type nearfi eld probes, the latter made by silicon processing. This has been used to observe partially photodissociated regions spectroscopically, using its submicron resolving capability. In addition, by using localized plasmons induced at the apex of a metallic nano-tip, we achieved nano-Raman spectroscopy and nano-imaging on the nanoscale, and found a new Raman effect that is specifi c to near-fi eld optics.