Nanostructured magnetic materials are the basic building blocks for future magnetic recording technology and spintronic logic. Magneto-optical microscopy exploits the Faraday and magneto-optical Kerr effects (MOKE) and has become established as a powerful and popular means by which to study the micromagnetic state of thin films. However, for magneto-optical microscopy to be applied to nano-magnetic systems, it is first necessary to overcome the limit on spatial resolution that is associated with the diffraction limit. Other optical microscopies have moved into the near-field regime by exploiting either transmission through sub-wavelength apertures, or the local electric field enhancement of plasmonic resonances within an antenna structure. So far the application of such approaches to magneto-optical microscopy has proved problematic. Magnetic materials induce small changes in the polarization state of a probing optical beam that must be accurately measured. Unfortunately no near field probe has yet been demonstrated that allows polarization conversion to be observed at the required level. You will use electron beam and focused ion beam lithography techniques to fabricate antenna structures that are able to transmit and receive two orthogonal polarization states. Furthermore the antenna will be designed so as to be resonant at the wavelength of the exciting laser beam. Initially the antenna will be fabricated on top of a magnetic film or nanostructure that is to be sensed. However the end goal will be to fabricate an antenna that can be used as a scanning probe within a time resolved microscope.