Practical interest in high-resolution microscopy relates to its use oil reactive and reacting heterogeneous surfaces. As the features of interest approach the nanometer range in functional structures, the microscopic techniques must approach the same resolution in order to monitor the progress of degradation processes and to assess the reliability and lifetime of the features. Of interest here is the modified near field optical scanning microscope for determining concurrent topography, fluorescence intensity and fluorescence spectroscopy oil reactive surfaces of aluminum alloy Al 2024. It is shown that fluorescence spectroscopy on localized surface spots reveals aspects of the chemical nature of the matrix surrounding the dye. The spatial resolution and spectral resolution of the instrument will be discussed. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.