PLASTIC OPTICAL FIBER MACHINING METHOD

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve coupling efficiency to a light source or a converging lens, by treating the tip part of an optical fiber with a solvent so as to form the end face into a smooth plane or a smooth spherical face at the time of machining the tip part of a plastic optical fiber. SOLUTION: At the time of machining the tip part of a plastic optical fiber formed of a plastic material such as a fluorine-containing polymer, the tip part of the optical fiber is treated using a solvent that can dissolve plastic. The end face is thereby made into a smooth plane or a smooth spherical face. In this case, it is desirable that the plastic optical fiber is a refractive index distributed type optical fiber formed of fluorine contained plastic material with a fluorine contained polymer of 10000-5000000 in number average molecular weight as matrix resin and with a fluorinated compound of low molecular weight of 300-10000 in number average molecular weight as diffuse matter. Coupling efficiency can thereby, be heightened when light enters the optical fiber from a light source such as a laser diode and light goes out of the optical fiber to a light receiving element such as a photodiode.