Optical cantilever having light shielding film and method of fabricating the same

A method of fabricating an optical cantilever comprising:

• a step of forming a base portion and a cantilever portion extending from the base portion;
• a step of forming a hole to penetrate the cantilever portion;
• a step of depositing a dielectric member in the hole;
• a step of sharpening the dielectric member to form a sharpened tip at a first end thereof projecting outward of a first surface of the cantilever portion;
• and
• a step of depositing a light shielding film on the first surface of the cantilever portion and on the sharpened dielectric member except for a tip thereof so as to provide a very small aperture at the tip, by depositing a metal on the sharpened dielectric member and removing the metal at the sharpened tip of the dielectric member by dry etching or wet etching.

A method of fabricating an optical cantilever comprising:

• a step of forming a base portion and a cantilever portion extending from the base portion;
• a step of forming a hole to penetrate the cantilever portion;
• a step of depositing a dielectric member in the hole;
• a step of sharpening the dielectric member to form a sharpened tip at a first end thereof protecting outward of a first surface of the cantilever portion;
• a step of depositing a light shielding film on the first surface of the cantilever portion and on the sharpened dielectric member except for a tip thereof so as to provide a very small aperture at the tip;
• and
• partially removing the dielectric member by dry etching or wet etching from a side opposed to the sharpened tip of the dielectric member.

A method of fabricating an optical cantilever comprising:

• a step of forming a base portion and a cantilever portion extending from the base portion;
• a step of forming a hole to penetrate the cantilever portion;
• a step of depositing a dielectric member in the hole;
• a step of sharpening the dielectric member to form a sharpened tip at a first end thereof projecting outward of a first surface of the cantilever portion;
• a step of depositing a light shielding film on the first surface of the cantilever portion and on the sharpened dielectric member except for a tip thereof so as to provide a very small aperture at the tip;
• and
• preventing a face of the dielectric member opposite the sharpened front end from projecting from a face of the cantilever portion by dry etching or wet etching from a face on a side opposed to the sharpened tip of the dielectric member.