Diffraction-limited optical microscopy requires that the spatial resolution of an image is limited by the wavelength of the incident light & by the numerical apertures of the condenser & objective lens systems.The development of near-field scanning optical microscopy (scanning near-field optical microscopy) has allowed for a imaging technique that retains the various contrast mechanisms afforded by optical microscopy methods while attaining spatial resolution beyond the optical diffraction limit

Protocol: Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy