Inscription Of Fiber Bragg Gratings Research Articles

Characterizing the effect of femtosecond photo-treatment on the center wavelength of fiber Bragg gratings.

Various types of pre- and post-treatments to optical fibers are typically used to improve and/or change the properties of fiber Bragg grating (FBG). Here, we investigate experimentally the effects of NIR femtosecond (fs) laser pulses used for pre- and post-treatment on the refractive index of the fiber, and the resulting center wavelength shift of an fs inscribed FBG. We observe "red"-shift when applying a suitable pre-treatment, and both "blue"- and "red"-shifts when applying post-treatment. We characterize the photo-treatment parameters and compare to an FBG inscribed on a fresh fiber without any treatment. We also show that when the photo-treatment is saturated the result is a phase-shifted grating. Our results give further insight into the process of fs photo-treatments and quantify the effects in the case of fs FBG inscription.

Fiber Bragg grating inscription in multi-core photonic crystal fiber by femtosecond laser

The inscription of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in a pure-silica multi-core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) using femtosecond laser and phase mask is reported. Three resonant dips are observed in the transmission spectrum due to the multiple supermodes transmitted in the PCF. The induced refractive index modulation of 2.2 × 10−4 is achieved for a peak power density of 4.8 × 1013 W/cm2 without any fiber sensitization. The experimental results show that type II grating is inscribed and it has high thermal stability. The temperature corresponding to 50% decrease in transmission loss of the FBG is about 970 °C. The central wavelengths of the three dips linearly shift with pressure sensitivity of −4.8 pm/MPa and strain sensitivity of 1.2 pm/με. This FBG will find applications in optical fiber sensing under high temperature.

Phase-shifted fiber Bragg gratings fabrication method

In this paper, we showed a technique for the formation of phase-shifted fiber Bragg gratings. The analysis of the efficiency of the obtained structures was carried out with the help of an optical spectrum analyzer with the subsequent calculation of the full width at half maximum of a bandpass in reflection spectrum. Fiber Bragg gratings inscription was performed on the Talbot interferometer, the KrF excimer laser system was used as a UV radiation source, and a phase shift was introduced by the electrical discharge of an arc fusion splicer. The experimental dependence between the length of the obtained structure and the full width at half maximum of a bandpass in reflection spectrum of a phase-shifted grating was presented, the value of the last parameter varies in the range from 24 pm to 96 pm.

Bragg Gratings and Fabry-Perot Cavities in Low-Loss Multimode CYTOP Polymer Fiber

We report the inscription of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) and Fabry-Perot (FP) cavities in a gradient index cyclized transparent optical polymer (CYTOP) polymer optical fiber (POF) using a femtosecond laser. Through careful control of the inscription parameters, the coupling between the grating and the fiber’s higher order propagation modes is reduced, allowing for single peak grating spectra. Furthermore, we inscribe a 10-nm chirped grating and an FBG FP cavity with a free spectral range of 240 pm. We measure the group delay of the chirped grating and characterize the fiber FP cavity for strain and temperature.

A study of bending effect on the femtosecond-pulse inscribed fiber Bragg gratings in a dual-core fiber

Abstract Fiber Bragg gratings with different reflection wavelengths have been inscribed in different cores of a dual-core fiber section. The effect of fiber bending on the FBG reflection spectra has been studied. Various interrogation schemes are presented, including a single-end scheme based on a cross-talk between the cores that uses only standard optical components. Simultaneous interrogation of the FBGs in both cores allows to achieve a bending sensitivity of 12.8 pm/m−1, being free of temperature and strain influence. The technology enables the development of real-time bending sensors with high spatial resolution based on series of FBGs with different wavelength inscribed along the multi-core fiber.

Point-by-point femtosecond laser micro-processing of independent core-specific fiber Bragg gratings in a multi-core fiber.

Four 3rd order fiber Bragg gratings were inscribed into separate cores of a 7 core multi-core fiber using the point-by-point inscription technique. A 1030 nm, 206 ± 5 fs laser was used, operating at a frequency of 1 kHz and pulse energy of 2.1 ± 0.2 µJ. Independent Bragg resonances at λB = 1541.01 ± 0.02, 1547.82 ± 0.02, 1532.66 ± 0.02, and 1537.42 ± 0.02 nm and extinction ratios of 13.97 ± 0.4, 16.02 ± 0.4, 10.08 ± 0.4 and 13.40 ± 0.4 dB were recorded. Our data analysis shows that refractive index changes, Δn, of the order 10-3 were induced. Core-specific inscription of fiber Bragg gratings in a multi-core fiber can provide a flexible and versatile platform to address the needs of recent space division multiplexed transmission and optical sensor networks.

Fast and stable gratings inscription in POFs made of different materials with pulsed 248 nm KrF laser.

This paper presents fiber Bragg grating (FBG) inscription with a pulsed 248 nm UV KrF laser in polymer optical fibers (POFs) made of different polymers, namely polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), cyclic-olefin polymer and co-polymer, and Polycarbonate. The inscribed gratings and the corresponding inscription parameters are compared with grating inscribed in POFs made of the aforementioned materials but with the hitherto most used laser for inscription, which is a continuous wave 325 nm UV HeCd laser. Results show a reduction of the inscription time of at least 16 times. The maximum time reduction is more than 130 times. In addition, a reflectivity and a bandwidth close to or higher than the ones with the 325 nm laser were obtained. The polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings (POFBGs) inscribed with the 248 nm laser setup present high stability with small variations in their central wavelength, bandwidth, and reflectivity after 40 days.

Femtosecond-pulse inscription of fiber Bragg gratings with single or multiple phase-shifts in the structure

In this work, long high-quality fiber Bragg gratings with phase shifts in the structure are inscribed directly in the optical fiber by point-by-point technique using femtosecond laser pulses. Phase shifts are introduced during the inscription process with a piezoelectric actuator, which rapidly shifts the fiber along the direction of its movement in a chosen point of the grating with a chosen shift value. As examples, single and double π phase shifts are introduced in fiber Bragg gratings with a length up to 34 mm in passive fibers, which provide corresponding transmission peaks with bandwidth less than 1 pm. It is shown that 37 mm π-phase-shifted grating inscribed in an active Er-doped fiber forms high-quality DFB laser cavity generating single-frequency radiation at 1550 nm with bandwidth of 20 kHz and signal-to-noise ratio of >70 dB. The inscription technique has a high degree of performance and flexibility and can be easily implemented in fibers of various types.

4.05 kW monolithic fiber laser oscillator based on home-made large mode area fiber Bragg gratings

With the increasing output power of the monolithic fiber laser oscillators, the stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) effect becomes one of the main limitations of power scaling. Employing fiber with a larger mode area is an effective technique to mitigate the SRS, but, for the monolithic fiber laser oscillators, the difficulty of the inscription of the high-reflection fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) increases with the fiber mode area. In this work, we demonstrated a high-power monolithic fiber laser oscillator based on the home-made large mode area FBGs and ytterbium-doped fiber (YDF) with 25 μm core diameters. A maximum output power of 4.05 kW is achieved at the central wavelength of ∼1080 nm with a total 915 nm pump power of ∼6.7 kW. At the operation of 4.05 kW, the intensity of the Raman Stokes light is ∼25 dB below the signal laser, and the beam quality (M2-factor) is ∼2.2. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first detailed report of the monolithic fiber laser oscillator with an output power beyond 4 kW.

Ultra-fast polymer optical fibre Bragg grating inscription for medical devices

We report the extraordinary result of rapid fibre Bragg grating inscription in doped polymer optical fibres based on polymethyl methacrylate in only 7 ms, which is two orders of magnitude faster than the inscription times previously reported. This was achieved using a new dopant material, diphenyl disulphide, which was found to enable a fast, positive refractive index change using a low ultraviolet dose. These changes were investigated and found to arise from photodissociation of the diphenyl disulphide molecule and subsequent molecular reorganization. We demonstrate that gratings inscribed in these fibres can exhibit at least a 15 times higher sensitivity than silica glass fibre, despite their quick inscription times. As a demonstration of the sensitivity, we selected a highly stringent situation, namely, the monitoring of a human heartbeat and respiratory functions. These findings could permit the inscription of fibre Bragg gratings during the fibre drawing process for mass production, allowing cost-effective, single-use, in vivo sensors among other potential uses.

Point-by-point fabrication and characterization of sapphire fiber Bragg gratings.

The Letter reports the inscription of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) in a single-crystal sapphire optical fiber via a point-by-point method by 780nm infrared-femtosecond laser pulses. Compared to phase mask exposure, the use of the point-by-point method for the inscription provides a flexible way to fabricate sapphire FBGs and to make wavelength division multiplexing in sapphire fiber more practicable. The multiplexing of three cascade gratings is demonstrated, and their performance up to 1400°C is tested. The permanent enhancement of reflectivity by a factor of about 5 after heat treatment and the nearly linear temperature response with a slope of 25.8pm/°C are demonstrated.

Flexible femtosecond inscription of fiber Bragg gratings by an optimized deformable mirror.

The period of fiber Bragg gratings is adapted by shaping the wavefronts of ultrashort laser pulses applied in a phase mask inscription technique. A specially designed deformable mirror, based on a dielectric substrate to withstand high peak powers, is utilized to deform the wavefront. A shift of about 11nm is demonstrated for a Bragg wavelength around 1550nm.

Reproducible ultra-long FBGs in phase corrected non-uniform fibers

Ultra-long fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), i.e., FBGs of several tens of cm in length, have attracted much attention in the last few decades for their potential applications in advanced devices. Although numerous fabrication methods as well as ultra-long functionalized FBGs have been proposed and demonstrated successfully, such devices are difficult to reproduce. We have recently found that specialty optical fibers of the type required for these applications are highly non-uniform on a short length scale, severely affecting the characteristics of ultra-long FBGs. We propose here a new production technique that can be adapted to any non-uniform fiber for ultra-long FBG fabrication. This technique involves a fiber characterization prior to FBG inscription followed by the writing of a phase corrected ultra-long FBG. This technique has no limitations in terms of correction amplitude or FBG length. The results are quite astonishing, as near-perfect 1-m-length-scale FBGs are possible in fibers in which it was impossible to write uniform period gratings prior to phase correction.

Femtosecond Laser Inscription of Fiber Bragg Grating in Twin-Core Few-Mode Fiber for Directional Bend Sensing

We demonstrated femtosecond laser inscription of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) in a twin-core few-mode fiber (TC-FMF) for directional bend sensing. An FBG was selectively inscribed in one core of the TC-FMF by using an 800 nm femtosecond laser through a phase mask. Three resonance peaks at the wavelengths of 1549.05, 1547.65, and 1546.08 nm were observed in the reflection spectrum of the TC-FM FBG, and were generated by the LP01 mode resonance, LP01–LP11 mode cross-coupling resonance, and LP11 mode resonance, respectively. Moreover, the TC-FM FBG exhibited the capability of directional bend sensing and achieved a maximum bend sensitivity of −37.41 pm/m−1. Hence, the proposed TC-FM FBG directional bend sensors could further be developed as promising solutions for detecting vectorial seismic or acoustic waves and 3-D shape sensing.

Fiber Bragg gratings inscription using Talbot interferometer and KrF excimer laser system

Fiber Bragg gratings inscription using Talbot interferometer and KrF excimer laser system

Self-organized nanostructure formation during femtosecond-laser inscription of fiber Bragg gratings.

Periodic planar nanostructures are found in Type II-IR Bragg gratings produced in SMF-28 fiber by side-illuminating it with infrared femtosecond-laser pulses through a phase mask. The planar nanostructures are aligned perpendicular to the laser polarization, as demonstrated using scanning electron microscopy analysis of cleaved fiber samples. Dark field optical microscopy is employed for real-time monitoring of structural changes occurring inside the fiber during the inscription process.

Characterization of femtosecond-inscribed fiber Bragg gratings in the visible spectral region.

The femtosecond-laser pulse inscription and characterization of fiber Bragg gratings for operation at visible wavelengths was performed using several types of optical fibers, including single-mode and graded-index fibers designed for near-infrared wavelengths. The obtained bandwidths are very narrow (∼0.12-0.36 nm) for the used exposure conditions, even in graded-index fibers. Thermal and strain characterization was performed, with results about half of those found for C-band gratings. The wavelength dependence of the sensitivity is compared with a Sellmeier model.

Analysis on the Diffracted Light Field by Phase Mask for Mid-infrared FBGs Inscription

The physical model for the inscription of mid-infrared Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) is established based on the Finite Element Method (FEM). The diffracted light field by the phase mask is analyzed. Two light sources as the plane wave and spherical wave are adopted in the simulation. When using the plane wave as the incident beam, the variation of the Talbot diffraction pattern is deeply analyzed by changing the incident angle of the plane wave and the groove depth of the phase mask. When using the spherical wave as the incident light, the variation of the diffraction pattern of the phase mask is analyzed by changing the distance between the light source and the phase mask. As a result, when the plane wave is incident in an arbitrary angle, the Talbot diffraction pattern is formed along the same direction as the input. The profile and maximum energy of the Talbot diffraction is changed with the groove depth of the phase mask. With the groove depth increasing, the maximum diffraction energy increases gradually. However, it begins to decrease after the depth reaches certain value. At the same time, the Talbot image tends to evolve to the uniform fringes. When the spherical wave is incident on the phase mask, the distribution of Talbot diffraction pattern is along the propagation direction of the spherical wave. As the distance between the spherical wave and phase mask is decreased, the maximum diffraction energy is higher. Then it begins to decrease after the distance is smaller than some certain value.

Laboratory setup for fiber Bragg gratings inscription based on Talbot interferometer

An experimental setup for the fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) inscription by use of Talbot interferometer has been described in this paper. A KrF excimer laser system Master Oscillator–Power Amplifier CL-7550 (Optosystems Ltd, Russia) was used as the UV radiation source in the experimental setup. In order to control laser beam quality, thus to provide FBGs effective writing, the laboratory setup includes: spectral width control system, based on Fabry–Perot interferometer; laser beam energy distribution control system; monitoring system of laser pulse energy density on the optical fiber; and control system of optical fiber to the laser beam relative position. FBGs of type I inscription results in a single-pulse and multi-pulse modes are presented.

Birefringent optical fibers axial positioning technique for fiber Bragg gratings writing

An experimental setup for fiber Bragg gratings writing with preliminary optical fiber orientation has been described in this paper. The writing efficiency results of Bragg gratings of type I in birefringent optical fiber with an elliptical stress cladding at two extreme positions of the stress ellipse were presented. These results were compared to the similar data, received after the fiber Bragg gratings inscription in PANDA carried out in the same way.