Bragg gratings in ternary SiO(2):SnO(2):Na(2)O optical glass fibers

Bragg gratings have been written in an optical fiber with a core made from ternary SiO(2): SnO(2): Na(2)O glass and a SiO(2) cladding. The presence of Na(2)O allows for higher concentrations of SnO>(2) , which are believed to be responsible for the photorefractive response of this composition. In these preliminary experiments significant refractive-index modulations, up to 6.2x10(-4) , have been achieved with a 248-nm excimer laser and a phase mask to write gratings for reflectivity at ~1.5microm . The induced refractive-index changes show enhanced temperature stability, and there is no sign of any erasure up to temperatures exceeding 600 degrees C.     

Bragg gratings photoinduced in ZBLAN fibers by femtosecond pulses at 800 nm

Fiber Bragg gratings were written in thulium-doped and undoped single-mode ZBLAN fibers by focusing femtosecond laser pulses on the fiber core through a phase mask. Maximum index modulation of the order of 1 x 10(-3) was induced in both types of fibers. Measurements of the transverse refractive index changes across the core and cladding regions indicate that the grating formation originates from a negative index change.     

Inscription of high contrast volume Bragg gratings in fused silica with femtosecond laser pulses

We present volume Bragg gratings (VBGs) with a period of 1.075 μm inscribed in fused silica using a femtosecond laser and a phase mask. The femtosecond-inscribed VBGs can be used as reflecting elements with reflectivities of about 80% for a 1-mm-long grating. Due to the non-sinusoidal refractive-index shape, higher order Bragg resonances up to the 7th reflection order could be measured. Therefore, the Bragg gratings also reflect light in the visible-wavelength range.     

Photofabrication of periodic microstructures in azodye-doped polymers by interference of laser beams

Volume holographic gratings and two-dimensional periodic microstructures in azodye-doped polymethylmethacrylate were fabricated, respectively, by interference of two coherent beams of a femtosecond laser and by interference of three coherent beams of a nanosecond laser. The dependence of the first-order Bragg diffraction efficiency and the photoinduced refractive-index modulation of the gratings on the intensity of the writing light was investigated. The measurements of the absorption spectra before and after irradiation with the writing light suggest that the photoinduced gratings were refractive-index-modulated gratings, which arose from a photoinduced decomposition reaction of the azodye molecules through multiphoton absorption. In the experiments involving the interference of three beams, the period of the two-dimensional periodic microstructures was changed by adjusting the angle between the three writing beams. Received: 10 July 2002 / Revised version: 5 September 2002 / Published online: 20 December 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +81-774/955206, E-mail: jhsi@photon.jst.go.jp     

Resonance-temperature-insensitive phase-shifted long-period fiber gratings induced by surface deformation with anomalous strain characteristics

Received February 18, 2005 We report the fabrication of phase-shifted long-period fiber gratings by use of a CO2 laser with a surface deformation technique and a point-by-point method. Due to periodicities that are structurally induced by a heat source and refractive-index modulation caused by a perturbational photoelastic effect, the results of thermal testing show a grating temperature coefficient of 28 pm/ degrees C at a range from 22 to 180 degrees C, indicating that the band rejections of the grating that is formed remain unchanged in their resonant strengths even at temperatures up to the fictive point of fiberglass. It is found for what is believed to be the first time that such a grating possesses an anomalous strain behavior of resonance with -1.52 x 10(-4) dB/muepsilon for the right notch and 7.05 x 10(-5) dB/muepsilon for the left notch.     

Polarization control method for ultraviolet writing of advanced Bragg gratings

We present a flexible and simple method for UV writing of Bragg gratings with advanced apodization profiles including discrete phase shifts. The method is based on a p phase shift between the refractive-index modulation profiles induced by s and p polarization of UV light. By changing the ratio of UV intensity in the two polarizations we are able to control the modulation strength and to induce phase shifts while keeping a constant effective refractive index throughout the Bragg grating. We demonstrate strong UV-written Bragg gratings with Gaussian or sinc apodizations with spectral shapes, in good agreement with theoretical predictions.     

Refractive-index gratings written by near-ultraviolet radiation

This is the first report, to our knowledge, of refractive-index grating side writing in 10 mol.% GeO(2)-doped fiber by the near-UV light of a cw Ar(+) laser (333-364 nm). An induced-index magnitude as large as 1.9 x 10(-4) at 1.7x10(5) W/cm(2) UV power density has been achieved. The observed gratings have exhibited the same temperature stability as gratings written by a KrF excimer laser (248 nm).     

Contribution of photoinduced densification to refractive-index modulation in Bragg gratings written in Ge-doped silica fibers

We have computed the contribution of UV-light-induced densification to the refractive-index modulation of fiber Bragg gratings. Our results confirm that, for strong gratings written in Ge-doped silica fibers with 248-nm UV light, density changes account for a major part of the photosensitivity effect.     

Position weighting of fiber Bragg gratings for bandpass filtering

A fiber Bragg grating bandpass filter with tailored refractive-index modulation is investigated. The writing method includes a position weighting technique, which provides flexible and accurate control of the index modulation along the fiber. This weighting is accomplished by adjusting the positions of a large number of overlapping subgratings to control the local grating strength. A 10-cm grating with a truncated sin(x)/x refractive-index modulation function was written and characterized with this method, showing good agreement with simulations. These types of filter are well suited for wavelength-division-multiplexing applications and can be made to have steep edges, low sidelobes, large bandwidth, and low stopband ripple.     

Fabrication of high-efficiency diffraction gratings in glass

We investigated a microfabrication process for optical gratings with periods of micrometer order that use ultrafast laser pulses in semiconductor-doped glass. ZnS- or PbS-doped SiO2-A12O3-B2O3-CaO-ZnO-Na2O-K2O glass was prepared by a melting method. Glass transmission diffraction gratings with a high refractive-index difference were fabricated with femtosecond laser pulses. The first-order diffraction efficiencies of these gratings were approximately 80%, and the first-order diffraction angles of these gratings were 8 degrees at telecommunication wavelengths.     

Temperature sensitivity of Ge-B-SiO(2) waveguide Bragg gratings on a crystallized glass substrate

Waveguide Bragg gratings were fabricated by plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition followed by irradiation with KrF excimer laser light through a phase mask. The period of the Bragg grating was 0.53 mum, and the Bragg wavelength was ~1.53 mum . The temperature dependence of the Bragg wavelength was 11 pm/ degrees C for a 10GeO(2) -90SiO(2)(mol.%) core waveguide on a Si substrate, and the Bragg wavelength shift was successfully reduced to 5.0pm/ degrees C by use of a 14GeO(2)-12B(2)O(3)-74SiO(2) (mol.%) core and a crystallized glass substrate with a thermal-expansion coefficient of -2.0x10(-6)(/ degrees C) .     

In situ observation of photoinduced refractive-index changes in filaments formed in glasses by femtosecond laser pulses

We investigated the relationship between the formation of filaments and local refractive-index changes induced by femtosecond laser pulses in silica glass. In situ observation revealed that the location of a filament coincided with that of the refractive-index change. Observation also showed that the region of refractive-index change was elongated toward the upstream direction of the laser pulses with increasing exposure time. The region of refractive-index change was several hundred micrometers long, and its diameter was smaller than 2 mum. The refractive-index change was confirmed by two of three different methods to be as large as 0.8 x 10(-2).     

Fiber bragg gratings made with a phase mask and 800-nm femtosecond radiation

High-quality retroreflecting fiber Bragg gratings were written in standard Ge-doped telecom fiber (Corning SMF-28) after a few minutes exposure with pulsed 800-nm, 120-fs laser radiation by use of a deep-etch silica zero-order nulled phase mask optimized for 800 nm. Induced index modulations of 1.9 x 10(-3) were achieved with peak power intensities of 1.2 x 10(13) W/cm2 without any fiber sensitization. The fiber gratings are stable and did not erase after 2 weeks at 300 degrees C. The primary mechanism of induced index change results from a structural modification to the fiber core.     

Infrared photosensitivity in silica glasses exposed to femtosecond laser pulses

We investigate the use of infrared femtosecond laser pulses to induce highly localized refractive-index changes in fused-silica glasses. We characterize the magnitude of the change as a function of exposure and measure index changes as large as 3x10(-3) and 5x10(-3) in pure fused silica and boron-doped silica, respectively. The potential of this technique for writing three-dimensional photonic structures in bulk glasses is demonstrated by the fabrication of a Y coupler within a sample of pure fused silica.     

Photorefractive polymer-dispersed liquid crystals

We report observation of the photorefractive effect in functionalized polymer-dispersed liquid crystals. The photoconductive properties are provided by the polymer matrix, and the field-dependent refractive-index changes are generated by the dispersed nematic liquid-crystal droplets. A high diffraction efficiency (8%) and a high refractive-index modulation amplitude (Dn = 2 x 10(-3)) are obtained in 53- microm-thick samples with an applied field of 22 V/microm.     

Strong Bragg gratings photoinduced by 633-nm illumination in evaporated As2Se3 thin films

Bragg gratings are used in several photonic devices to reflect, and thus to isolate, specific wavelengths of light. Gratings can be photoinduced in chalcogenide glasses by illumination of bandgap light in an interference pattern. We used holographic interferometry to create Bragg gratings in amorphous As2Se3 thin films with a period of 0.56 microm by illumination with 633-nm light. The quality of the gratings was tested in real time, and refractive-index modulations as high as 0.037 were measured. These gratings were found to be stable over a period of several months if they were kept in the dark.     

Photo-induced densification in Er<Superscript>3+</Superscript>/Al doped silica preform plates using 193-nm laser light

The growth rate of Bragg gratings written using 193-nm light from an ArF excimer laser is shown to be non-linear with the pulse energy density for Er³⁺ co-doped Al silica. This yields a refractive-index increase up to a few 10⁻³. We then use phase-shift interferometry to measure the sample surface topography following exposure. Subsequently, we formulate an inhomogeneous stress model to analyse the observed change of volume within the core material. Below pulse energies of 550 mJ/cm², the results show that refractive-index changes are primarily due to a densification process. At higher pulse energies material re-expansion occurs.     

+1/-1相位掩模板和532nm激光下低损耗As_2S_3硫系光纤布喇格光栅的制备

采用改进型Sagnac干涉光栅写入系统,利用532nm准带隙光曝光源和带+1/-1衍射级的相位掩模板,在两种不同直径的低损耗As_2S_3硫系玻璃光纤上刻写布喇格光栅,并研究曝光期间光栅的动态特性.实验表明,As_2S_3光纤布喇格光栅透射峰值随光纤直径的减小而增强;在曝光过程中,布喇格波长先是较快地向短波长方向移动,随着曝光时间的延长,布喇格波长缓慢地向长波长方向回复.曝光时间为800~1 000s时,在包层直径为140μm的As_2S_3光纤上获得质量良好的布喇格光栅光谱,其透射峰值可达-2.6dB,带宽为0.37nm.对As_2S_3硫系光纤纤芯的光敏性分析结果表明,折射率调制幅度和平均折射率变化随曝光时间分别可达到10-4和10-3数量级.