Observation of amorphous recording marks using reflection-mode near-field scanning optical microscope supported by optical interference method

A signal enhancing technique for a reflection-mode near-field scanning optical microscope (NSOM) is proposed. Optical interference between the signal light, from an aperture at the tip of a tapered optical fiber, and the reflected light, from a metallic coating around the aperture, enhances the signal intensity. We used a rewritable high-definition digital versatile disc (HD DVD) with dual recording layers as a sample medium, and demonstrated observation of amorphous recording marks on the semitransparent (the first) recording layer. In spite of low optical contrast between the crystal region and the amorphous region on this layer, we successfully observed recording marks with good contrast.