OPTICAL FIBER TIP WORKING METHOD AND OPTICAL FIBER PROBE MANUFACTURING METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a cone-shaped tapered surface with various vertex angles irrespective of difference of the mixture amount of germanium and fluorine of a core and a clad. SOLUTION: In order to sharpen the tip 2a of an optical fiber 2, first of all, a cone-shaped tapered surface 7 whose tip is not sharpened is formed by applying laser machining or mechanical grinding to the peripheral surface of the tip of the optical fiber 2 in a rough working process P1and thereafter, a sharpened cone-shaped tapered surface 5 is formed at the tip of the optical fiber by applying chemical etching to the tapered surface 7 in a sharpening process P2. Then, when an optical fiber probe 1 is formed using the sharpened optical fiber 2, the vertex 5a of the sharpened cone-shaped tapered surface 5 is exposed and also a metal coating 6 which coats at least the part of a core 3 is formed in a coating forming process P3which follows the sharpening process P2. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI