Patent ID: 7586084

Claim:
An optical fiber probe, comprising: a core configured to propagate light from a light source, a front end surface of said core including a first exit section configured to emit the propagating light and a second exit section configured to seep out near-field light, said first exit section and said second exit section being disposed in a concentric manner, wherein a tilt angle of a normal of the first exit section relative to an optical axis of the propagating light is different from a tilt angle of a normal of the second exit section relative to the optical axis of the propagating light, the first exit section extends from a peripheral side of the optical fiber probe and projects immediately outward, at least partially in a direction parallel to the optical axis, from an edge of a clad layer at an end of a light guide portion in the core, and the tilt angle of the normal of the second exit section is about 45 to 55 degrees.