Single-mode sapphire fiber Bragg grating

Sapphire optical fiber has the ability to withstand ultrahigh temperatures and high radiation, but it is multimoded which prevents its use in many sensing applications. Problematically, Bragg gratings in such fiber exhibit multiple reflection peaks with a fluctuating power distribution. In this work, we write single-mode waveguides with Bragg gratings in sapphire using a novel multi-layer depressed cladding design in the 1550 nm telecommunications waveband. The Bragg gratings have a narrow bandwidth (<0.5 nm) and have survived annealing at 1000 degrees C. The structures are inscribed with femtosecond laser direct writing, using adaptive beam shaping with a non-immersion objective. A single-mode sapphire fiber Bragg grating is created by writing a waveguide with a Bragg grating within a 425 gm diameter sapphire optical fiber, providing significant potential for accurate remote sensing in ultra-extreme environments. Published by Optica Publishing Group under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Automated summary

This paper presents a novel design and laser writing technique for creating single-mode Bragg gratings in sapphire optical fibers. The resulting gratings have a narrow bandwidth and can withstand high temperatures, making them suitable for accurate sensing in extreme environments.