Spectroscopy and images with SNOM tips that have been packaged in standard AFM Gel-Pak boxes can lead to artifacts in the optical response. This is due to contamination of the tip by a few molecules of the gel. Vmicro has developed a back-end process with special decontamination and storage in a metal box. You can select this feature as an option when selecting your reference.
Nano-FTIR spectra normalized and obtained at the SMIS beamline at Synchrotron SOLEIL. (Courtesy F. Borondics – G. Németh)
