High precision 96 µm CO_2 laser end-face processing of optical fibres

Abstract

Reproducible, precise cleaving of optical fibres is of great importance to the fibre laser and telecommunications industries. We present a novel approach to the end-face processing of optical fibres using a 9.6 µm CO 2 laser to produce flat, smooth and symmetric fibre end-face profiles with no rounding or melting at the edges of the fibre. As a demonstration, precision cleaving of a 400 µm diameter optical fibre is reported. For this fibre a topographical profile height of <400 nm (0.06°) and a reproducibility better than 200 nm (0.03°) was achieved. To the best of our knowledge this is the first demonstration of a CO 2 process that has generated a fibre endface topography substantially smaller than a typical mechanical cleave. Highlighting the flexibility of this system, we have also demonstrated the generation of near arbitrary fiber end-face profiles such as discrete phase steps and non-spherical surface profiles.

Fabrication of Lensed Optical Fibers for Biosensing Probes Using CO2 and Femtosecond Lasers

“…The mirror reflection method and the knife-edge method [14] were used to measure the focal length of the fabricated lensed optical fiber and the beam size at the focal plane, respectively.…”

“…We note that our precise CSF cleaving technique using a femtosecond laser has been implemented previously, demonstrating its superiority over conventional micromachining, which cannot be used to precisely fabricate an optical fiber [12]. Furthermore, the proposing method is simpler than the conventional method involving polishing processes together with thermal processing [14,15].…”

Numerical simulation of surface topography evolution during pulsed CO2 laser ablation of fiber

“…While conventional D-shaped optical fiber manufacturing technologies rely on the mechanical polishing or chemical etching method, which inevitably bring cracks and subsurface damage [3] or the introduction of contamination and impurities [4]. However, laser ablation [5] as a non-contact process method has been proved to be a promising technology for achieving ultra-smooth [6] and low defects surface. The CO2 laser is generally chosen to process optical fiber for the reason the peak absorption wavelength of the glass is just in the wavelength range of the CO2 laser [7].…”

Selectively Micro-Patternable Fibers via In-Fiber Photolithography

“…However, the interfaces of fibers with other systems are largely limited to their tips, which impedes their applications in large area applications. While longitudinal symmetry in fibers can be broken through selective capillary breakup, gaining electrical, optical, or fluidic access to the devices embedded within the fiber cladding commonly relies on the low-throughput ablation methods. , A method offering access to functional features along the fiber lengths would expand the capabilities and interface density of fiber-based systems.…”