
Chapter 18
Tapered Fibers and Specialty
Fiber Microcomponents
James P. Clarkin
Polymicro Technologies, LLC, Phoenix, Arizona
18.1 INTRODUCTION
In applications that utilize specialty optical fibers, very often there are re-
quirements placed on the optical fiber design that are not conducive to the
launch or delivery requirements placed on the proximal and distal ends of the
fiber.
For example, in high-power medical applications, such as laser angioplasty or
laser lithotripsy, a small-fiber diameter may be required so the fiber probe
assembly will be able to bend easily inside the small blood vessels of the body.
However, this may cause difficulty on the ...