OPTICAL FIBER AND ITS MANUFACTURE

摘要

An optical fiber composed of a core for conducting light and cladding which covers the core and intercepts the light propagating through the core. The core of the optical fiber includes a pointed end, an opaque coating on the pointed core end and an aperture at the core point that is not coated. This optical fiber inputs and outputs light through the aperture only, because the opaque coating layer functions as a light intercepting section against the light projected upon the end of the core other than the aperture. In the core, light propagates while repeatedly reflected at the boundary between the core and cladding, and a condensed beam of light is emitted from the aperture at the point of the core. On the other hand, light incident to the core point enters the core. This optical fiber can be used for a photon scanning microscope which is used for detecting evanescent light locally existing in an are a smaller than the wavelength of light on the surface of the substance as an optical probe which is brougth nearer to the surface of the substance to scatter the evanescent light for detection. The light scattered at the point of the core is introduced to the core and detected at the other end of the core.