A study on micro-grooving characteristics of planar lightwave circuit and glass using ultrasonic vibration cutting

Micro-grooving of brittle materials such as glass, which are widely used as optical components, was accomplished using a polycrystalline diamond tool with ultrasonic vibration. To determine the cutting characteristics of brittle materials, the machining system with an ultrasonic vibration tool was built. Experiments for micro-grooving of the planar lightwave circuits (PLCs) and glass were performed and their shapes were measured by microscopic photograph. Better groove shapes with low chipping of PLCs and glass were obtained by ultrasonic vibration cutting. These experiments are considered as a possibility for micro-grooving of optical communication components. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.