Dynamic selective etching: a facile route to parabolic optical fiber nano-probe

A dynamic etching approach is proposed through the appropriate variation of etchant composition ratio during the etching process, resulting in the parabolic shape of optical fiber nano-probe with a favorable changing of cone angle. The probe formation mechanism is thoroughly analyzed to illustrate the controllability and simplicity of this method. Optical properties of as-made probes are simulated and experimentally characterized and compared with the linear shape probes of different cone angles. It shows that the parabolic shape probes are superior to the linear shape ones with respect to the transmission efficiency and light focusing capability.