American Institute of Physics, Applied Physics Letters, 9(108), p. 091113, 2016
DOI: 10.1063/1.4943088
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We report two-dimensional apertureless near-field terahertz (THz) imaging using a quantum cascade laser(QCL)source and a scattering probe. A near-field enhancement of the scattered field amplitude is observed for small tip-sample separations, allowing image resolutions of ∼1 μm (∼λ/100) and ∼7 μm to be achieved along orthogonal directions on the sample surface. This represents the highest resolution demonstrated to date with a THz QCL. By employing a detection scheme based on self-mixing interferometry, our approach offers experimental simplicity by removing the need for an external detector and also provides sensitivity to the phase of the reinjected field.