UV femtosecond laser inscribes a 300 nm period nanostructure in a pure fused silica

We report on the first recording of a periodic structure of ~150 nm pitch in a permanently moving sample of a pure fused silica using the tightly focused, 82 nJ, 267 nm, 300 fs, 1 kHz laser pulses.

A new method for microwave generation and data transmission using DFB laser based on fiber Bragg gratings

A novel architecture for microwave/millimeter-wave signal generation and data modulation using a fiber-grating-based distributed feedback laser has been proposed in this letter. For demonstration, a 155.52-Mb/s data stream on a 16.9-GHz subcarrier has been transmitted and recovered successfully. It has been proved that this technology would be of benefit to future microwave data transmission systems.

Quantifying hydrogel response using laser light scattering

The pH and counter-ion response of a microphase separated poly(methyl methacrylate)-block-poly(2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) hydrogel has been investigated using laser light scattering on an imprinted micron scale topography. A quartz diffraction grating was used to create a micron-sized periodic structure on the surface of a thin film of the polymer and the resulting diffraction pattern used to calculate the swelling ratio of the polymer film in situ. A potentiometric titration and a sequence of counter ion species, taken from the Hofmeister series, have been used to compare the results obtained using this novel technique against small angle X-ray scattering (nanoscopic) and gravimetric studies of bulk gel pieces (macroscopic). For the first time, the technique has been proven to be an inexpensive and effective analytical tool for measuring hydrogel response on the microscopic scale.

Fiber Bragg gratings inscribed using 800nm femtosecond laser and a phase mask in singleand multi-core mid-IR glass fibers

For the first time, Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) structures have been inscribed in single-core passive germanate and three-core passive and active tellurite glass fibers using 800nm femtosecond (fs) laser and phase mask technique. With fs peak power intensity in the order of 1011W/cm2, the FBG spectra with 2nd and 3rd order resonances at 1540 and 1033nm in the germanate glass fiber and 2nd order resonances at ~1694 and ~1677nm with strengths up to 14dB in all three cores in the tellurite fiber were observed. Thermal responsivities of the FBGs made in these mid-IR glass fibers were characterized, showing average temperature responsivity ~20pm/°C. Strain responsivities of the FBGs in germanate glass fiber were measured to be 1.219pm/µe.

Transversal loading sensor based on tunable beat frequency of a dual-wavelength fiber laser

Microwave signal generation by using the photonic beating from a phase-shift fiber Bragg grating (PS-FBG)-based dual-wavelength laser is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The dual-wavelength laser is formed by a linear cavity, in which a PS-FBG is used as a dual-wavelength selective component. Transversal loading on the PS-FBG enhances the birefringence of the optical fiber and consequently makes the transmission peak of the PS-FBG splitting into two sharp transmission peaks of orthogonal polarizations. The wavelength spacing between the two transmission peaks increases with the transversal loading on the PS-FBG, thus making the polarization beating frequency increase. This property is exploited in a transversal loading sensor.

In-fiber polymer–glass hybrid waveguide Bragg grating

A 1.2 µm (height) × 125 µm (depth) × 500 µm (length) microslot along a fiber Bragg grating was engraved across the optical fiber by femtosecond laser patterning and chemical etching. By filling epoxy in the slot and subsequent UV curing, a hybrid waveguide grating structure with a polymer core and glass cladding was fabricated. The obtained device is highly thermally responsive with linear coefficient of 211 pm/°C.

Ultra-long raman laser with a feedback based on the Rayleigh scattering

This paper reports the Rayleigh scattering effects in ultra-long Raman fibre laser. It has been found that in a long fibre cavity (-100 km) the distributed feedback due to Rayleigh back scattering at propagation of light between fibre Bragg grating reflectors may be comparable with the lumped feedback provided by the FBG itself. As a result, Raman lasing in the fibre span limited by lumped (FBG) reflector at one side only appears possible due to significant reflection from the RS-based "random" distributed mirror at the other side. Thus, it concludes that a distributed Rayleigh scattering "random" mirror can form a cavity together with a single FBG spliced to the opposite cavity end.

Effect of fibre base and reflectors profile on the efficiency of ultra- long laser cavities

We study the effect of fibre base and grating profile on the efficiency of ultra-long Raman lasers. We show that for the studied parameters, FBG profile does not affect the performance when operating away from the zero-dispersion wavelength.

Dual-wavelength, ultralong Raman laser with Rayleigh-scattering feedback

We present experimental demonstration of a 200-km-long, dual-wavelength Raman laser utilizing two slightly different-wavelength fiber Bragg gratings, one on each side of the fiber span. The obtained results clearly prove the generation of two independent Raman lasers with a distributed “random” Rayleigh scattering mirror forming a cavity together with each of the individual fiber Bragg grating reflectors.

Theoretical study of Talbot-like bands observed using a laser diode below threshold

We report on a theoretical study of an interferometric system in which half of a collimated beam from a broadband optical source is intercepted by a glass slide, the whole beam subsequently being incident on a diffraction grating and the resulting spectrum being viewed using a linear CCD array. Using Fourier theory, we derive the expression of the intensity distribution across the CCD array. This expression is then examined for non-cavity and cavity sources for different cases determined by the direction from which the slide is inserted into the beam and the source bandwidth. The theoretical model shows that the narrower the source linewidth, the higher the deviation of the Talbot bands' visibility (as it is dependent on the path imbalance) from the previously known triangular shape. When the source is a laser diode below threshold, the structure of the CCD signal spectrum is very complex. The number of components present simultaneously increases with the number of grating lines and decreases with the laser cavity length. The model also predicts the appearance of bands in situations not usually associated with Talbot bands.

Talbot-like bands for a laser diode below threshold

We report on the problems encountered when replacing a tungsten filament lamp with a laser diode in a set-up for displaying Talbot bands using a diffraction grating. It is shown that the band pattern is rather complex and strong interference signals may exist in situations where Talbot bands are not normally expected to appear. In these situations, the period of the bands increases with the optical path difference (OPD). The visibility of bands as dependence on path imbalance is obtained by suitably obstructing halfway into the arms of a Michelson interferometer using opaque screens.

Self-mixing-based demodulation technique for dynamic fiber Bragg grating strain sensors

We report a novel demodulation scheme for the detection of small Bragg wavelength shifts in a fiber Bragg grating strain sensor by exploiting the optical feedback reflected from the grating structure back into a 1310 nm laser diode integrating a photodiode. The dynamic strain generated by a mechanical vibrator is applied transversely to the fiber Bragg grating and the desired longitudinal strain values inferred from the detected sawtooth-like optical feedback signals. Preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of this demodulation technique for strain measurement which could be further extended to fiber Bragg grating-based sensors for the detection of different measurands in general.

Refractometer based on fiber Bragg grating Fabry-Pérot cavity embedded with a narrow microchannel

We report on inscription of microchannels of different widths in optical fiber using femtosecond (fs) laser inscription assisted chemical etching and the narrowest channel has been created with a width down to only 1.2µm. Microchannels with 5µm and 35µm widths were fabricated together with Fabry-Pérot (FP) cavities formed by UV laser written fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), creating high function and linear response refractometers. The device with a 5µm microchannel has exhibited a refractive index (RI) detection range up to 1.7, significantly higher than all fiber grating RI sensors. In addition, the microchannel FBG FP structures have been theoretically simulated showing excellent agreement with experimental measured characteristics.

Microstructures made in optical fiber with femtosecond laser

Different types of microstructures including microchannels and microslots were made in optical fibers using femtosecond laser inscription and chemical etching. Integrated with UV-inscribed fiber Bragg gratings, these microstructures have miniature, robustness and high sensitivity features and have been used to implement novel devices for various sensing applications. The fiber microchannels were used to detect the refractive index change of liquid presenting sensitivities up to 7.4 nm/refractive index unit (RIU) and 166.7 dB/RIU based on wavelength and power detection, respectively. A microslot-in-fiber based liquid core waveguide as a refractometer has been proposed and the device was used to measure refractive index, and a sensitivity up to 945 nm/RIU (10-6/pm) was obtained. By filling epoxy in the microslot and subsequent UV light curing, a hybrid waveguide grating structure with polymer core and glass cladding was fabricated. The obtained device was highly thermal responsive, demonstrating a linear coefficient of 211 pm/°C.