  The implementation of a scanning microscope capable of working in confocal,
atomic force and apertureless near field configurations is presented. The
microscope is designed to operate in the temperature range 4 - 300 K, using
conventional helium flow cryostats. In AFM mode, the distance between the
sample and an etched tungsten tip is controlled by a self - sensing
piezoelectric tuning fork. The vertical position of both the AFM head and
microscope objective can be accurately controlled using piezoelectric coarse
approach motors. The scanning is performed using a compact XYZ stage, while the
AFM and optical head are kept fixed, allowing scanning probe and optical
measurements to be acquired simultaneously and in concert. The free optical
axis of the microscope enables both reflection and transmission experiments to
be performed.

Other Condensed Matter