Etching process related changes and effects on solid-core single-mode polymer optical fiber grating

Kishore Bhowmik*, Gang Ding Peng, Yanhua Luo, Eliathamby Ambikairajah, Vedran Lovric, William R. Walsh, Ginu Rajan

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Etching process related material and mechanical changes on solid-core single-mode polymer optical fiber (POF) and their influence on the characteristic properties of polymer fiber Bragg gratings (PFBGs) are studied. A poly(methyl methacrylate)-based POF is etched to different diameters, and it is experimentally demonstrated that etching can lead to a change in the Young's modulus of the fiber. It is found that etching process induced material changes of the polymer fiber can enhance the reflectivity and inherent sensitivity of PFBGs. It is demonstrated that gratings based on etched POF exhibit higher reflectivity with a shorter exposure time compared with unetched ones. Highest reflectivity of 98.54% is observed within 7 seconds of exposure for a diameter of 85 μm. The stability of fabricated Bragg gratings is also studied. By tailoring the etching diameter of POF, Bragg gratings with high sensitivity and high reflectivity can be fabricated.

Original languageEnglish
Article number7397839
JournalIEEE Photonics Journal
Volume8
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Etching
  • Fibre Bragg grating (FBG)
  • Polymer optical fibre (POF)
  • Reflectivity
  • Young's modulus

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