Electrogenerated chemiluminescence at electrodes witheffective diameters down to 155 nm was used as a stablelight source for near-field scanning optical microscopyimaging of an interdigitated array and a submicrometersize test substrate. Light was generated in a thin (~500
m) layer of an aqueous solution of 15 mM Ru(bpy)
32+and 100 mM tri-
n-propylamine in a pH 7.5 buffer. Theresolution obtained was compared to that found with amicrometer size electrode. The shear force from the tipattached to a quartz tuning fork was used to monitor andcontrol the tip-to-substrate separation within the near fieldregime.