Abstract
Optical fiber end-plane machining is characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) scratching. We use silica (SiO2), ceria (CeO2), alumina (Al2O3), and zirconia (ZrO2), as well as diamond, as the AFM tip material. These oxides are commonly considered to have chemical effects as abrasive materials. Here, the influence of ambient-liquid pH change is also examined. For evaluation of machining, the AFM tip scratches a rectangular area of the fiber end plane including the fiber core in liquid ambient. Consequently, with increasing pH, silica and diamond tips machined greater volumes than conventional methods. For silica, the tip abrasion and amount machined were the same. The other material tips exhibited peculiar scratch characteristics with pH change.
