Development of a reflection-type ultraviolet laser scanning confocal microscope combined with an atomic force microscope

The construction and the application of a reflection-type ultraviolet laser scanning confocal microscope combined with an atomic force microscope for simultaneous measurement of optical and topographical characteristics of photonic nanostructures are reported. Since the optical and the topographical measurements are conducted from the same side of a sample with the proposed refection-type combined system, measurements of opaque and semitransparent samples, as well as transparent ones, can be done irrespective of the sample thickness. The measurement results for photo-luminescent materials with concave surface nanostructures (InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells) and convex nanostructures (ZnO nanorods on a Si substrate) were demonstrated.