Solution doping of microstructured polymer optical fibres

Solution doping of microstructured polymer optical fibres [mPOF] is demonstrated, a technique which allows dopants to be introduced after polymerisation through the microstructure. Controlled diffusion is used to disperse the dopant uniformly across the fibre core, and the final concentration can be systematically varied by appropriate choice of conditions. We use this technique to produce a fibre doped with Rhodamine 6G and characterize its loss and fluorescence behavior. (C) 2004 Optical Society of America.