Plastic optical fibre power splitter for surface profiling of 3-D object

Abstract

Single-mode fibre has established the intensity-based surface profiling application with the notable results such as surface topography of ancient stones and three-dimensional rigid-body shapes. However, cost and experimental handling has been the most common issue for single mode fibre related-applications. Thus, plastic optical fibre (POF) has become an alternative for surface structure monitoring due to its highly-multimode and larger cross-sectional area. Millions of light rays can be gathered and enhanced the light detection, aside from lower installation cost and offer easier handling of the fibre system. In this work, the operating principle and experimentation of the surface profiler on a reflective 3-D object is presented. The measurement of the profiler was investigated via a 0.7 dB low excess-loss, non-branching POF Y-shape power splitting coupler. The variation in light intensity reflected from the target surface provides details on the change in depth and thickness of the target. The 1-mm diameter POF end-facet provides excellent probing tip in measuring the diameter of 3-mm reflective spherical surface with good accuracy.