Cleaving of polymer optical fiber by 193-nm excimer laser

Abstract

Abstract A smooth end-face is difficult to obtain when cleaving a polymer optical fiber (POF) due to the complex mechanical properties of polymers. In this article, a cleaving method is reported, which use laser ablation of a 125-μm solid multi-mode POF with a 193-nm ultraviolet laser. To achieve the best POF end-face quality, we designed a new beam shaping system that makes a 180 × 22-μm beam size. As a result, we found that an energy density between 550 and 600 mJ/cm2 and a repetition rate of 3 Hz were the optimal parameters cleaving the 125-μm solid multi-mode polymer optical fiber.