I want to unclad an optical grade plastic optical fiber therefore I just want to know which is the best method for unclad this type of fiber. The specification sheet is attached herewith.
The data sheet linked by Iftak clearly states that the fibre is un-jacketed with a 980 micron diameter acrylic core, refractive index 1.492, and a 10 micron thick cladding with refractive index 1.402.
Given the refractive index difference, it is quite likely that the cladding has a substantially different composition, so it may be possible to identify a solvent which preferentially softens or removes the cladding. Have you consulted the supplier?
How good is the adhesion between core and cladding? Have you tried mechanical stripping? How important is it to maintain surface quality of the interface? Would mechanical abrasion and polishing be acceptable?
How much of the cladding do you need to remove? A few mm or several metres? Is this at an end, or mid-way along the length?
What are you trying to achieve? Do you need to remove from the full circumference, or could you polish a single facet for index matching and light injection or extraction?
As Boris, Dan and Moshe suggest, could you couple to a 1 mm diameter glass or acrylic rod, or perhaps to a 1 mm slica core fibre which is more easily stripped? http://www.thorlabs.de/newgrouppage9.cfm?objectgroup_id=362
If you mean the jacket - the ordinarily polymer layer that has no optical function and only present to protect the fiber - that is done with special strippers. EO or ThorLabs probably have them. Just make sure to get them in the right size.
I don't think there is a way to remove cladding. It's the basically the same material as the core (up to some small doping, usually). You may be able to etch it away very carefully. But that might ruin the fiber.
You may be able to just buy cladding-free fiber.
For a polymer outer jacket you can buy a stripper tool from i-fiberoptic.com
This is basically a standard wire stripper with 0.5, 1 and 2 mm gauges. You can get one at a nearby hardware store as well. If you mean the second clad layer with a confining optical function, then I doubt if it is possible to remove it easily. You would better buy a core only fiber from i-fiberoptic.com
Further to the above suggestions if you are trying to mechanically remove a plastic jacket and do not succeed you can try using acid or heating the jacket.
Removing the clad is not possible as it is the same material with less doping.
If you need a core only fiber you can order one or just use a glass rod.
The data sheet linked by Iftak clearly states that the fibre is un-jacketed with a 980 micron diameter acrylic core, refractive index 1.492, and a 10 micron thick cladding with refractive index 1.402.
Given the refractive index difference, it is quite likely that the cladding has a substantially different composition, so it may be possible to identify a solvent which preferentially softens or removes the cladding. Have you consulted the supplier?
How good is the adhesion between core and cladding? Have you tried mechanical stripping? How important is it to maintain surface quality of the interface? Would mechanical abrasion and polishing be acceptable?
How much of the cladding do you need to remove? A few mm or several metres? Is this at an end, or mid-way along the length?
What are you trying to achieve? Do you need to remove from the full circumference, or could you polish a single facet for index matching and light injection or extraction?
As Boris, Dan and Moshe suggest, could you couple to a 1 mm diameter glass or acrylic rod, or perhaps to a 1 mm slica core fibre which is more easily stripped? http://www.thorlabs.de/newgrouppage9.cfm?objectgroup_id=362
Sir, I need to unclad the fiber up to a length of 30 mm. Actually I am working on evanescent field absorption based sensors. From literature I have now found that the cladding can be removed from a plastic optical fiber by dipping it into water+acetone solution. I have tried but the core brittle quickly.
The Merchant paper looks like a good starting point. From my cursory reading, it may be worth experimenting with solvent concentrations and rinsing regimes. It seems that the core is potentially subject to stress corrosion and brittle fracture until most of the acetone has been removed.
Dear Iftak,
I have worked in the past with a POF whose clad and core where manufactured with different materials. This could be the case as Alan said. If so, core and clading can move independently and longitudinally if the fiber length is not too long (30 mm is maybe short enough) as overall friction finally stick the two parts together. You will need to "hang" the clading and push the core in order to make it going out from the clad. This is not an easy task, and if you hang too strongly, increased friction will avoid you to do so.. it's worth to try if you want to extract the core without damaging it. You could maybe extract shorter portions and then "splice" them in order to have your 30 mm length core.
One way would be to side polish the fibre - encased in a block - at a large bend radius to enable some of the cladding to be polished away leaving the main fibre intact.... seems to be a nice picture here
http://www.mdpi.com/sensors/sensors-10-01716/article_deploy/html/images/sensors-10-01716f3-1024.png
picture d.
Regards
Colin.
others way etching by chemical method, to remove cladding segment and then can decreases core diameter.
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