Immersion lens microscopy of photonic nanostructures and quantum dots

We describe recent experimental and theoretical advances in immersion lens microscopy for, both surface and subsurface imaging as applied to photonic nanostructures. We examine in detail the ability of sharp metal tips to enhance local optical fields for nanometer resolution microscopy and spectroscopy. Finally, we describe a new approach to nano-optics, that of combining solid immersion microscopy with tip-enhanced focusing and show how such an approach may lead to 20-nm resolution with unity throughput.