Wavelength Tuning of Long-Period Fiber Gratings by Fabrication Using a Tilted Amplitude Mask

We propose a method of tuning resonant wavelengths in the fabrication process of a long-period fiber grating using an amplitude mask tilted relative to the fiber. We irradiated a hydrogenated single-mode fiber with a KrF excimer laser through a tilted amplitude mask with a grating period of 460 Μm. Growth of resonant loss peaks in transmission spectra was measured for various tilt angles. A tuning range up to 329 nm was obtained by tilting up to 45°. The measured results agreed with numerical simulation. It was shown that using only an amplitude mask it is possible to fabricate a long-period fiber grating having resonance at any wavelength throughout the range of 1.2-1.6 Μm. A method to determine the tilt angle for a designed wavelength is discussed.