Highly sensitive cladding-etched arc-induced long-period fiber gratings for refractive index sensing

We have investigated the effects of cladding etching in arc-induced long-period fiber gratings. Comparing the position of the resonant wavelengths at each diameter with the corresponding theoretical dispersion curves of effective refractive index, it is found that some of the resonances show a better match with anti-symmetrical cladding modes, while others with symmetrical cladding modes. Etching the cladding diameter to ∼39 μm, results in coupling to a high-order cladding mode that is very sensitive to changes in the ambient refractive index. The resonant peak shifts remarkably (∼230 nm) toward shorter wavelengths as the external refractive index increases. This sensitivity is higher than any previously reported in arc-induced long-period fiber gratings.     

Optimization of photonic bandgap fiber long period grating refractive-index sensors

Long period gratings in low-index contrast solid-core photonic bandgap fibers are a promising platform for fiber-based fluid refractive index sensing with very low detection limits. We provide a comprehensive investigation of the possibilities for refractive index sensing using that principle in a commercial photonic crystal fiber filled with a fluid: using an acoustic grating, we map out the cladding bands, and use this data to optimize a long period grating’s sensitivity. We then implement the optimized long period grating, again using an acoustic grating, and directly measure its sensitivity to refractive index. We demonstrate a sensitivity of 17,900 nm/RIU (6.94 nm/°C) which corresponds to a smallest detectable index change of the fluid of 8.4 × 10⁻⁶.     

Investigation of the mechanisms of formation of long-period gratings arc-induced in pure-silica-core fibres

We investigate the mechanisms of formation of long-period gratings written in a pure-silica-core fibre by using arc discharges. We show by simulation of transmission spectra of the gratings that their formation can be accounted for by the microdeformations induced in this fibre due to temperature gradients in the arc discharge. The measurement of the near-field intensity distribution confirms the asymmetry of the perturbation.     

Flexible gratings fabricated in polymeric plate using femtosecond laser irradiation

Flexible gratings embedded in poly-dimethlysiloxane (PDMS) were fabricated using femtosecond laser pulses. Photo-induced gratings in a flexible PDMS plate were directly written by a high-intensity femtosecond (130 fs) Ti: Sapphire laser (λ_p=800 nm). Refractive index modifications with 4 μm diameters were photo-induced after irradiation of the femtosecond pulses with peak intensities of more than 1×10¹¹ W/cm². The graded refractive index profile was fabricated to be symmetric around the center of the focal point. The diffraction efficiency of the grating samples is measured by an He-Ne laser. The maximum value of refractive index change (Δn) in the laser-modified regions was estimated to be approximately 3.17×10⁻³.     

Tapered Mach–Zehnder interferometer based on two mechanically induced long-period fiber gratings as refractive index sensor

A Mach–Zehnder interferometer formed in single mode fiber is implemented. The interferometer is built by two mechanically-induced long-period gratings. In addition, a fiber taper in the middle section is inserted. The spectral properties of the whole system are analyzed. Visibility of the interference fringes up to 0.80 (the higher ever reported using mechanically-induced long-period gratings) with fringe spacing in the 4.1 to 0.86 nm range are experimentally demonstrated. The proposed device allows reducing the fiber diameter of the section between gratings with a minimal effect in the interference fringe spacing. The sensitivity of the interferometer to external refractive index changes was also studied. It is experimentally shown that, due to the nature of the cladding mode excited, it is necessary to taper the fiber to improve the system sensitivity to external refractive index. Fiber tapers with different diameter, inserted between the long-period gratings pair were fabricated and tested for measuring external refractive index changes. A maximum resolution of 2.3×10^?4 RIU in a refractive index range from 1.36 to 1.402 is achieved.     

Sub-milliwatt sub-millisecond recording of population gratings in ytterbium-doped optical fibers at 976 nm

We report effective formation of population gratings in ytterbium-doped fibers by coherent light at 976 nm, i.e. at the wavelength that is typically utilized for optical pumping of these fibers. The dynamic gratings need sub-mW cw laser power to be recorded and have comparable amplitude (absorption) and phase (refractive index) components. Given the spontaneous relaxation time of a Yb³⁺ meta-stable level of ~ 0.8 ms, the grating formation time proved also to be in the sub-ms region with the phase grating component significantly slower than the amplitude one.     

Long-period fiber gratings fabricated with a CO2 laser beam and phase mask

A new holographic technique is proposed for fabricating long-period fiber gratings (LPGs) using a CO₂-laser and a phase mask. A CO₂ laser operating at 10.6 μm is incident normally on the phase mask and the diffracted interfering beams imprint a thermally induced periodic modulation into the cladding of the fiber placed behind the mask. Preliminary results of this technique are presented and discussed. An unusual self-tapered fiber LPG (STFLPG) is also presented.     

啁啾长周期光纤光栅的超宽带滤波特性及其切趾优化

基于光纤光栅的模式耦合理论,采用传输矩阵法对啁啾长周期光纤光栅(LPFG)的超宽带滤波特性进行了分析。研究表明当啁啾LPFG的纤芯模同时与同向传输的多个阶次的包层模发生耦合,且与多个不同阶次包层模对应的谐振峰交叠时,其传输谱带宽可扩展到500nm以上,可用做超宽带带阻滤波器。传输谱带宽随模式序数、啁啾系数、光栅长度、周期和折射率调制量的增加单调递增,但随光纤包层半径的增大单调递减。采用高斯折射率切趾技术抑制了传输谱旁瓣,为设计超宽带滤波器提供了新的方法。     

Filtering characteristics of film-coated long-period fiber gratings operating at the phase-matching turning point

We present novel filtering characteristics of film-coated long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs) operating at phase-matching turning point (PMTP). The 3 dB bandwidth of a single broadband dip depends greatly on the film refractive index and thickness. A π-phase-shift in the grating center produces two band-rejection peaks between which the separation reaches 375 nm. This separation increases with the number M (M > 1) of π-phase-shifts that divide the LPFG uniformly. The central loss is constant at zero for odd M, whereas decreases with M for even M. Increasing film thickness and refractive index result in blue shifts of the dual peaks and enlarge the separations, which exhibits excellent tunabilities.     

Long-period fiber-gratings produced by exposure with a low-pressure mercury lamp and their sensing characteristics

A new production method of long-period fiber-gratings using neither a laser nor a fine-positioning system was proposed. A low-pressure mercury lamp emitting 254 nm ultraviolet light was used as a light source. Hydrogen-loaded Ge-B co-doped fiber was exposed to the emission of the lamp through an amplitude mask. A coupling loss up to 23 dB was obtained for a grating period of 212 μm. The maximum coupling loss for a grating period of 460 μm was 18 dB. The growth rate of the refractive index change by mercury-lamp exposure was 1.3 × 10⁻⁴/h. The temperature and strain characteristics were measured and compared with those fabricated by excimer-laser exposure. The temperature and strain sensitivities of long-period gratings with a period of 212 μm were higher than those of 460 μm. The temperature and strain sensitivities of those by mercury-lamp exposure were almost equal to those by excimer-laser exposure of the same fiber. The sensitivities of those by excimer-laser exposure of non-loaded fiber were higher than those of hydrogen-loaded fiber by mercury-lamp or excimer-laser exposures except for the temperature sensitivity of a grating period of 460 μm.     

Theoretical and Experimental Study of Long-Period Grating Refractive Index Sensor

Abstract

This article presents the theoretical and experimental investigation of the response of long-period gratings as a refractive index sensor. Cladding modes are calculated, and results are compared with Optigrating 4.2.2 (Optiwave Systems Inc., Ottawa, Canada). The response has been checked for refractive indices ranging from 1 to 1.458. Theoretically simulated results are in accordance with the experimental results. It was found that the software package calculated values correctly up to the seventh decimal point. The ambient refractive index response of a long-period grating over a much wider index range has been modeled for values both less and more than the cladding refractive index.     

Widely tunable long-period fiber grating with nm-thick higher refractive index film overlay

By introducing a four-layer step-index waveguide modeling, the characteristics of long-period fiber grating (LPFG) with an nm-thick film overlay, which has higher refractive index than that of fiber cladding are investigated in detail. The influence of both the overlay thickness and refractive index on the tuning ability of LPFG is analyzed. The numerical results demonstrate that spectral response of LPFG is divided into three distinct regions as the overlay deposition increases and the shift of resonant wavelength is drastic in some special thickness range. In conjunction with higher-order cladding mode coupling and fiber cladding etching, the sensitivity of LPFG to the overlay refractive index is enhanced significantly and over 120 nm resonant wavelength tunable range is achieved.     

Investigation of the long-term stability of arc-induced gratings heat treated at high temperatures

A long-period grating written in the SMF-28 fibre was heat treated at 1000 °C for 15 days. The spectrum of the grating shifted to longer wavelengths and the resonances depth decreased as a result of structural relaxation. The background loss increased considerably for times longer than 200 h, and this loss is caused by devitrification of the fibre.     

Optical filter based on subtractive dispersion planar reflective gratings

We have successfully designed, fabricated, and tested an optical filter based on cascaded planar reflective gratings. The device uses a combination of two grating elements arranged in a subtractive dispersion configuration. The first grating demultiplexes a 300 nm wide band and drops optical channels at 1490 and 1550 nm, commonly used in passive optical networks. The second grating completely counter-balances the dispersion properties of the first grating and ultimately yields zero dispersion in the output waveguide. Such a configuration allows the transmission of optical signals though the device in an ultra-wide band spanning 1250-1410 nm. The filter was manufactured using an industry standard silica-on-silicon process which was augmented with grating facet formation and metallization. In spite of using low refractive index contrast waveguides (0.82%), the device had a remarkably low footprint of only 0.21 cm². Applications of the device in passive optical networks are discussed.     

Deposition of coatings on long-period fiber gratings: tunnel effect analogy

The sensitivity of Long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs), coated with high-refractive-index thin film overlays, to the refractive index and the thickness of the overlay, and to the ambient refractive index, can be enhanced with a design based on a two-overlay coating of an LPFG. The first overlay of lower refractive index than the cladding affects the guidance of a cladding mode in the second overlay of higher refractive index than the cladding. This causes a more abrupt cladding modal redistribution than with the deposition of a unique high-refractive-index overlay. The phenomenon is analyzed with a method based on a vectorial analysis of modes and the application of coupled mode theory.     

Phase contribution to dynamic gratings recorded in Er-doped fiber with saturable absorption

Experimental observation of phase (i.e. refractive index) component in the dynamic gratings recorded in erbium-doped optical fiber with saturation of optical absorption is reported. We utilized configuration of transient two-wave mixing with rectangular phase modulation of one of counterpropagating recording waves, where unshifted phase grating resulted in a transient energy exchange. The reported experiments were performed with heavily doped (≈5400 ppm erbium) fibers in a wide spectral range of Er³⁺ fundamental absorption at selected laser wavelengths 1492, 1526, 1549, and 1568 nm. Relative contribution of phase grating was especially large (up to ≈100% of the maximal amplitude component) at the opposite sides of the investigated spectral range and was significantly lower in its central part. The amplitude grating was found especially strong at short wavelength side of the spectrum (i.e. at 1492 nm), where the grating amplitude proved to be only two times lower than the theoretically predicted from consideration of two-level model.