Mechanically Tunable Microbend Optical Fiber Gratings Using Corrugated Rubber and Uniformly Arrayed Metal Wire

Abstract

Mechanically tunable microbend optical fiber gratings using a corrugated rubber plate and an arrayed metal wire are proposed. With the variation in grating length by the elongation and constriction of the rubber plate, which is controlled by a micrometer adjuster, the resonant wavelength is linearly shifted within a given wavelength range. While the variation in the grating length reaches 3.2 mm, the resonant wavelength in the C-band shifts to a longer wavelength as large as 50 nm. This method provides a simple, accurate, and cost-effective tuning function to devices based on mechanically formed long-period fiber gratings (MLPFGs).