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US 6,203,660 B1Granted
Device for chemically etching a fiber probe
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorsMarc A. Unger, Dmitri A. Kossakovski
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Abstract
A two-phase etching system having an etchant solution and an overlayer of a protective solvent. The physical properties of the etchant solution and the protective solvent are matched to form a flat meniscus on the top surface of the etchant solution around a fiber immersed in the protective solvent and the etchant solution. Convective flows within the etchant solution are maintained in order to form a smooth and sharp fiber probe with a small tip apex.
Claims3
A fiber etching device, comprising:
- a container;
- an etchant solution filled in a bottom portion of said container and chemically reactive to an optical fiber material;
- and
- a protective solvent chemically inert to the fiber material and having a density smaller than said etchant solution, said protective solvent formed a protective layer on top of said etchant solution,
- wherein said etchant solution and said protective solvent have predetermined densities and viscosity coefficients to form a substantially flat meniscus on the interface between said etchant solution and protective solvent around the fiber material which has a portion immersed in said etchant solution and said protective solvent, and said container is configured to have a dimension sufficiently greater than a dimension of the immersed portion of the fiber material to maintain convective flows surrounding the immersed portion within said etchant solution.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.