Bragg gratings written in all-SiO2 and Ge-doped core fibers with 800-nm femtosecond radiation and a phase mask

Femtosecond laser pulses at 800 nm and 120 fs were used to fabricate high-quality retroreflecting fiber Bragg gratings in standard Ge-doped telecom fiber (Corning SMF-28) and all-silica-core Fluorine doped cladding single-mode fiber using a deep-etch silica zero-order nulled phase mask. Induced index modulations of 1.9 x 10(-3) were achieved with peak power intensities of 2.9 x 10(12) W/cm(2) without any fiber sensitization such as hydrogen loading. The fiber gratings have annealing characteristics similar to type II damage fiber gratings and demonstrate stable operation at temperatures as high as 950degreesC. The grating devices exhibit low polarization dependence. The primary mechanism of induced index change results from a structural modification to the fiber core.