Docking of an optical fiber to DLW 3D-printed micro-connector

This visualization is a stop motion animation composed of still SEM images. The micro-connector and optical fiber were coated before the docking with ~50 nm layer of gold to minimize accumulation of electric charge. However, some rapid changes of image brightness and contrast are still caused by sudden discharges. In order to enable relative movement of fiber and micro-connector, the sample was mounted on a stack of XYZ piezo positioners (Attocube GmbH).