Method for making long-period fiber gratings
First Claim
1. A method of making an optical fiber grating comprising the steps of:
- providing a length of optical fiber having a core containing hydrogen and a cladding surrounding the core, the length of optical fiber being free of intended cuts; and
exposing said length of fiber to an electrical arc at a plurality of regions along said length of fiber, thereby exposing said length of fiber to a plurality of electric arcs, so that said exposing of said length of fiber to said plurality of electric arcs causes an increase in the refractive index of the core at each of said plurality of regions, thereby forming said grating without cuts having been placed in said length of fiber.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Applicants have discovered that exposing optical fiber to an electrical arc produces a perturbation in its refractive index and that gratings can be made by exposing fiber to arcs at a series of locations along its length. In a first variation of the process, the fiber is exposed under tension to a high current arc (>15 mA) for a prolonged period of time (>2 s). Using this method, long period gratings can be successfully fabricated from fiber without the use of special dopants. In a second variation, the fiber is doped and the tension is reduced. The resulting grating is optically weaker but mechanically stronger. A third variation uses hydrogen-sensitized fibers and reduced currents and times. The resulting grating is optically and mechanically strong.
18 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A method of making an optical fiber grating comprising the steps of:
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providing a length of optical fiber having a core containing hydrogen and a cladding surrounding the core, the length of optical fiber being free of intended cuts; and exposing said length of fiber to an electrical arc at a plurality of regions along said length of fiber, thereby exposing said length of fiber to a plurality of electric arcs, so that said exposing of said length of fiber to said plurality of electric arcs causes an increase in the refractive index of the core at each of said plurality of regions, thereby forming said grating without cuts having been placed in said length of fiber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification