Fabrication of long-period fiber gratings by use of focused ion-beam irradiation

Long-period gratings have been made in nonphotosensitive optical fibers by irradiation of the core of a fiber with a focused beam of high-energy protons. The irradiated fibers exhibit relatively low loss, even before thermal annealing, and possess strongly wavelength-dependent transmission. The absence of a mask provides the opportunity to tailor the grating to a desired profile, and a variety of grating profiles were explored. The profile most resembling a sinusoid was found to produce the cleanest transmission spectra.     

Fabrication of long-period optical fiber gratings by use of ion implantation

We report the fabrication of long-period optical fiber gratings by use of a refractive-index increase induced by ion implantation. Helium ions were implanted in an optical fiber core through a metal mask that had a 170-microm -pitch grating with spacing of 60 microm . We obtained a wavelength-dependent effective transmission loss by use of the grating.     

Fabrication of long-period fiber gratings by twisting a standard single-mode fiber

A new method of fabrication of long-period fiber gratings by twisting of a standard single-mode fiber at high temperature is presented. The method relies on the fact that there always exists some core-cladding eccentricity in the optical fiber. Therefore, when the fiber is twisted, its core follows a helicoidal path inside the cladding. The transmission spectrum of the helicoidal long-period fiber grating that is produced contains several dips that correspond to resonances with the fiber cladding modes.     

Fabrication of long-period fiber gratings by focused irradiation of infrared femtosecond laser pulses

We have fabricated long-period fiber gratings by use of a novel technique using focused irradiation of infrared femtosecond laser pulses. We investigate the thermal stability of the fabricated fiber gratings. The values of the loss peak wavelength and the transmittance of the fiber gratings after heat treatment below 500 degrees C are the same as initial values before heat treatment. The fiber gratings that were fabricated by this technique have a high resistance to thermal decay. We propose that this technique will be useful for fabrication of fiber gratings with a superior aging characteristic.     

CO(2) laser writing of long-period fiber gratings in optical fibers under tension

We demonstrate experimentally that the efficiency of writing a long-period fiber grating in a single-mode fiber by CO(2) laser pulses increases significantly with the axial stress applied along the fiber. We attribute the enhancement in writing efficiency to the generation of nonuniform inelastic frozen-in strains across the fiber under tension by CO(2) laser heating. Controlling the axial stress distribution along a fiber during the CO(2) laser writing process thus provides an additional degree of freedom for control of the grating characteristics.     

Unique temperature sensing characteristics of CO2-laser-notched long-period fiber gratings

Long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs) are written by use of a focused CO₂ laser beam to notch periodically on the surface of optical fibers. Temperature characteristics of the CO₂-laser-notched LPFG are investigated in detailed to develop its sensing applications. It is shown that, for such LPFG, temperature sensitivity of resonant wavelength can be increased by creating deeper notches. The coupling from the fundamental core mode to a cladding mode in the LPFG can be enhanced by increasing the ambient temperature. The polarization-dependent loss (PDL) of the LPFG depends strongly on the ambient temperature. Such unique temperature characteristics can be used to solve the cross-sensitivity problem between the temperature and the tensile strain. So, the LPFG is a promising temperature sensor based on the wavelength modulation, on the intensity modulation and/or on the PDL modulation.     

高频CO2激光脉冲写入的长周期光纤光栅传感器的特性研究

报道了一种用高频CO2 激光脉冲写入的新型长周期光纤光栅 (LPFG) .发现该LPFG具有独特的应变、温度、弯曲、扭曲和横向负载特性 .分析表明这些特性与单侧CO2 激光加热导致光栅横截面折射率分布不均匀有关 .基于这些独特的特性提出了几种新型的LPFG传感器 :1)能彻底解决弯曲与其他参量之间交叉敏感问题的弯曲不敏感的传感器 ;2 )不仅能绝对测量扭曲率而且能判断扭曲方向的扭曲传感器 ;3 )单个LPFG实现温度和横向负载同时测量的传感器 .这些新型的传感器具有方法简单易行、体积小、能埋入智能材料的优点 ,可实现对工程结构的实时监测 ,具有广泛的应用前景     

Step-changed period chirped long-period fiber gratings fabricated by CO2 laser

A CO₂ laser and point-by-point method are used for fabricating step-changed period chirped long-period fiber gratings (LPFG). Several types of period chirped LPFGs have been demonstrated, such as, linearly chirp, peak-shape chirp, and cascaded linearly chirp. Unlike uniform LPFGs, the spectrum change such as multiple attenuation peaks, broader spectrum can be seen in these chirp gratings, and the spectral shape can be controlled by the grating period. Especially, the cascaded linearly chirped LPFGs performs a multi-peak as interference between the core mode and cladding mode, which can be used as multi-wavelength filters in fiber optic communication and fiber optic sensors. Also, a linear tuning range of 1.6 nm with -0.559 pm/με tuning rate is achieved in these types of devices by applying an axial strain.     

Magnetic-force-induced long-period fiber gratings

A novel formation method of a long-period fiber grating (LPFG) based on a magnetic-force-induced microbend is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The LPFG employs a permanent magnet that exerts transversal force to the fiber by attracting a steel coil spring. The transversal force causes periodic microbending to the fiber, and therefore the transmission wave attenuates at the core-to-cladding mode resonance. This device has advantages of ease of fabrication, reconfigurability, and available for any type of fiber.     

Torsion sensing with a fiber ring laser incorporating a pair of rotary long-period fiber gratings

We experimentally demonstrate a fiber ring laser for high-resolution torsion measurement, where the laser cavity consists of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer formed with a pair of long-period fiber gratings written in a twisted single-mode fiber by a CO₂ laser. The emitting wavelength of the laser provides a measure of the rate of the torsion applied to the grating pair, while the direction of the wavelength shift indicates the sense of the applied torsion. The narrow linewidth and the large side-mode suppression ratio of the laser can provide a much more precise measurement of torsion, compared with passive fiber-optic torsion sensors. The torsion sensitivity achieved is 0.084 nm/(rad/m) in the torsion range ± 100 rad/m, which corresponds to a torsion resolution of 0.12 rad/m, assuming a wavelength resolution of 10 pm for a typical optical spectrum analyzer. The ultimate resolution of the sensor is limited by the linewidth of the laser and could be an order of magnitude higher.     

Measurement of refractive-index variation with temperature by use of long-period fiber gratings

The thermo-optic coefficient of the core material of a fiber is analyzed by use of a pair of long-period fiber gratings. First the effective index difference between the core and the cladding modes is measured from the peaks of the interference fringe generated by the grating pair. The order of the cladding mode is decided by the cutoff wavelength and the numerical aperture of the fiber. The material index of the fiber core is obtained in terms of wavelength. At each wavelength the index is chosen to minimize the difference between the measured and the calculated spectra of the grating pair. Finally the thermo-optic coefficient of the fiber core is calculated by repetition of the measurement at different temperatures. With a germanosilicate-core fiber and a boron codoped germanosilicate-core fiber, the thermo-optic coefficients were 1.1x10(-5)/( degrees )C and 0.75x10(-5)/( degrees )C, respectively.     

Fabrication of long-period gratings with a mercury-arc lamp

Long-period gratings (LPGs) were fabricated in hydrogen-loaded standard single-mode fibers by use of a broadband UV mercury-arc lamp. Several kinds of LPGs with loss of ∼50% were fabricated in 40 min. With this technology, LPGs can be mass produced at very low cost.     

Random period arc-induced long-period fiber gratings

We report the fabrication of arc-induced long-period fiber gratings with strong random variations in the period. Long-period fiber gratings with standard deviations in the period from 8.50 to 36.98 μm were fabricated. The spectral position of the resonant bands is determined by the average period value, being similar to that observed in a long-period fiber grating with a fixed period equal to the average period of the random grating. Moreover the notch bands keep the shape characteristics like wideband and depth compared with a long-period grating with a constant period. In addition, their sensitivity to external parameters such as ambient refractive index is not too different with that of fixed period long-period gratings.     

All-optical switching in long-period fiber gratings

Nonlinear pulse propagation in long-period fiber gratings is studied with a mode-locked Q -switched laser pulse approximately 80ps in duration at a wavelength of 1.05 microm . Optical switching, pulse reshaping, and optical limiting are found at intensities in the range of 1-20 GW/cm(2).     

Tunable mechanically induced long-period fiber gratings

We report the experimental characterization of mechanically induced long-period fiber gratings (LPFG's) made by pressing a plate with periodic grooves against a short length of fiber. This filter, which is simple and inexpensive, exhibits transmission spectra and temperature stability similar to those of photoinduced LPFG's. It also offers the unique advantages of being tunable, erasable, and reconfigurable. Its polarization dependence also makes it useful as a polarizer, although it can also be eliminated with simple mechanical designs.     

Fabrication of long-period gratings in poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methyl vinyl ketone-co-benzyl methacrylate)-core polymer optical fiber by use of a mercury lamp

Polymer optical fiber (POF) with a highly photosensitive poly(methyl methacrylate-co-methyl vinyl ketone-co-benzyl methacrylate) core is fabricated. Gratings can be fabricated in the core of a POF with a low-cost mercury lamp. The part of the emission spectrum of the mercury lamp in which the cladding material exhibits photosensitivity is effectively filtered by a 1.5-mm-thick Pyrex glass to ensure that a long-period grating is formed only in the core of a POF. A long-period grating with a 3-dR resonant peak at 1568 nm is fabricated with 0.3 mW/cm2 of UV irradiation over a period of 200 s.     

Bending sensitivity of in-series long-period fiber gratings

The interference fringes formed in a long-period fiber grating pair are sensitive to the loss in the cladding mode, which can be induced by bending or by coating on the fiber. Assuming that there is no loss and that both gratings are identical, the interference fringes are shown to have 100% contrast when each grating has 50% transmissivity. By contrast, if the cladding mode is absorbed or scattered the fringe contrast is shown to be degraded. The spectral behaviors of a long-period fiber grating pair with loss is analyzed by the coupled-mode theory and is compared with experimental results.     

Tunable filter based on a pair of special long-period fiber gratings and its application in fiber ring laser

A filter based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) formed by cascading a pair of longperiod fiber gratings (LPFGs) written by CO₂ laser in a twisted single-mode fiber is proposed. The transmission spectrum of the filter is tuned by modifying the bending curvature of the MZI, and thus wavelength tuning is achieved. And a tunable erbium-doped fiber (EDF) ring laser employing the filter as a wavelengthselection component is experimentally demonstrated. The laser can be tuned continuously from 1573.05 to 1595.75 nm with a side-mode suppression ration of ∼50 dB over the total tuning range.     

Deposition of overlays by electrostatic self-assembly in long-period fiber gratings

It was proved that the deposition of an overlay material onto a long-period fiber grating causes important shifts in the wavelengths of the typical attenuation bands that are caused by coupling between cladding and core modes [Opt. Lett. 27, 682 (2002)]. A theoretical model for analyzing a multilayer cylindrical waveguide is presented that permits the phenomenon to be understood and predicted. An overlay of higher refractive index than the cladding starts to guide a mode if a certain thickness value is exceeded. This causes large shifts in the resonance wavelength induced by the grating. One important application of this phenomenon to sensors is enhancement of the sensitivity of a long-period fiber grating to ambient conditions. Theoretical results are corroborated with experimental ones obtained by electrostatic self-assembly.     

Optical-fiber-to-waveguide coupling using carbon-dioxide-laser-induced long-period fiber gratings

Optical fibers are expected to play a role in chip-level and board-level optical interconnects because of limitations on the bandwidth and level of integration of electrical interconnects. Therefore, methods are needed to couple optical fibers directly to waveguides on chips and on boards. We demonstrate optical-fiber-to-waveguide coupling using carbon-dioxide laser-induced long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs). Such gratings can be written in standard fiber and offer wavelength multiplexing-demultiplexing performance. The coupler fabrication process and the characterization apparatus are presented. The operation and the wavelength response of a LPFG-based optical-fiber-to-waveguide directional coupler are demonstrated.