Switchable Bragg gratings in photochromic-doped graded-index polymer optical fibers

Roel Van Boxel; Thierry Verbiest; Andre Persoons

doi:10.1117/12.520497

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30 April 2004 Switchable Bragg gratings in photochromic-doped graded-index polymer optical fibers

Roel Van Boxel, Thierry Verbiest, Andre Persoons

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Proceedings Volume 5279, Optical Fibers and Passive Components; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.520497
Event: Asia-Pacific Optical and Wireless Communications, 2003, Wuhan, China

Abstract

We present the first results of a new approach for creating graded-index polymer optical fibres (GIPOF) with integrated switchable Bragg gratings. The polymer multi-mode fibre used is made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) by the interfacial-gel polymerisation technique and has got a parabolic refractive index structure. Former attempts to write Bragg gratings in this type of GIPOF fibres were not successful without squeezing the fibre by which the optical performance is reduced. This problem can be overcome by adding a photochromic dopant in the fibre core. By bleaching the dopant, reflection gratings can be created with the interference pattern of two interfering laser beams with a wavelength around 500 nm, which does not affect the rest of the fibre, but only the photochromic molecule. Before writing, the dopant is initialised with a simple UV-broadband source. Because of the photochromic effect, the grating can be removed and written again in a totally reversible way. It is clear that these systems can have a lot of applications and possibilities. The characteristics of these gratings are measured experimentally in fibres and in thin polymer slices and results and applications are discussed.

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Roel Van Boxel, Thierry Verbiest, and Andre Persoons "Switchable Bragg gratings in photochromic-doped graded-index polymer optical fibers", Proc. SPIE 5279, Optical Fibers and Passive Components, (30 April 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.520497

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