Low loss optical waveguides are the key component for the fabrication of more complex integrated optics devices. In most works related to femtosecond laser written waveguides, the values presented give results at a single wavelength or in a narrow wavelength band; but some applications in optical sensing, for example, would benefit from waveguides having good propagation properties in a larger wavelength range. This paper presents results that allow one to gain insight into the major loss mechanisms present in laser written waveguides in two different types of glasses (fused silica and Eagle 2000 glass) and the dependence of those on the fabrication parameters. Finally, an example of application of broadband operating waveguides is given.
Optical fibre Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPIs) composed by different ultracompact size cavities were fabricated in SMF-28 fibers by using femtosecond (fs) laser micromachining assisted with hydrofluoric (HF) acid. This is made possible due to the high spatial resolution obtained from a non-linear absorption process triggered by the fs-laser exposure. The proposed structures consist of refractive index modified areas written longitudinally from bottom to top by a fs-laser beam that is focused with a 100× oil immersion lens. Then, the inscribed fiber was immersed in a 10 % HF acid solution for 105 minutes. Different FPI structures were developed in the fiber core region, following the same protocol as before, resulting in single open cavities with optical paths from 15 μm to ~ 23 μm length. Inline dual cavities, each with the same optical path but separated by ~ 8 μm length of unmodified fibre core, and a 23 μm wide single FPI cavity followed by an 8000 μm fibre optic cleaved facet were also fabricated. This last configuration results on a convolution of multiple interferences with high and low frequencies capable to monitor different parameters. All the configurations were tested to gas pressure variation and when submitted to different controlled gaseous environments, namely 100% of N2 and 50 % of CH4/N2 achieving sensitivities in the order of 4 nm/MPa and 4.8 nm/MPa, respectively, in pressure range 0-1 MPa with self-temperature compensation. In conclusion, we presented the simultaneous measurement of gas pressure and temperature in the case of the single FPI cavity followed by an 8000 μm fibre optic cleaved facet. Given the preliminary results presented, further research is necessary to improve the performance of such FPIs sensor, for instance, optimization of the cavities sizes for achieving refractive index measurements is still to be done, as well as a more thorough optical characterization.
Long Period Fibre Gratings (LPFGs) were fabricated by femtosecond (fs) laser direct writing in a standard single-mode fibre (SMF-28e) to measure variations in the surrounding refractive index (SRI). The sensing sensitivity of these structures was optimized with the deposition of homogeneous thin layers of titanium dioxide (TiO2) by physical vapour deposition (PVD) process. A set of LPFGs were coated with different thickness layers of TiO2, and the spectral features were monitored for different SRI solutions. The wavelength shift and the optical power variation of the LPFG minimum attenuation band were measured achieving sensitivities of ~570 nm/RIU at using SRI near to 1.3600 in the case of the LPFG coated with 60 nm of TiO2, a 10-fold increase over the corresponding for a bare LPFG. For SRI values higher than the cladding refractive index, a sensitivity over ~3000 nm/RIU was determined for 30 nm of TiO2 thick film, a region where the bare LPFGs are useless. For 30 nm of TiO2, the optical power variation follows a quasi-linear function of the SRI, with a range of ~10 dB. Moreover, values as high as 50 and 120 dB/RIU at 1.3200 and 1.4200, respectively, can be obtained by choosing the proper film thickness. Preliminary studies revealed that coating fs-laser direct writing LPFGs with titanium dioxide improves their performance.
The fabrication of optical waveguides with femtosecond laser direct writing is reported in two materials, Suprasil1 and Eagle2000. The influence of typical fabrication parameters, such as pulse energy and scan velocity, on the waveguide’s spectral characteristics is explored from 500 to 1700 nm. Tests conducted in Suprasil1 evidence a strong presence of Rayleigh scattering, hindering the production of low-loss waveguides at short wavelengths. On the other hand, optical waveguides fabricated in Eagle2000 exhibited lower insertion losses at short wavelengths, enabling the fabrication of low-loss broadband optical waveguides with a two order of magnitude higher scan velocity when compared with Suprasil1.
A Fabry-Pérot interferometer was fabricated inside a fused silica substrate through femtosecond laser micromachining. The influence of the waveguide’s writing parameters on the measured signal’s quality was studied for an interferometer with a 27-μm wide cavity. Optimal signal-to-noise ratio and fringe visibility were obtained for waveguides written at 75 nJ and 50 μm/s. The same device was characterized with different refractive index liquids, and a maximum sensitivity of 1181.4±23.6 nm/RIU was obtained in the index range of 1.2962 to 1.3828 (at 1550 nm) for the spectral order 𝑚 = 46.
A femtosecond laser direct writing system was developed to explore the fabrication of periodic structures in optical fibers. The possibility to write type I first- and second-order Bragg gratings in the same single-mode fiber (SMF-28e), with reflectivities of 99.6 % and 59.3 %, respectively, is presented. The fabrication of structures (waveguides and grating) in a coreless and in a SMF-28e fiber was first demonstrated, and the gratings were then exposed to a thermal annealing up to 1000°C. The FBG inscribed in the SMF-28e fiber presents thermal stability at temperatures of 800 °C and a temperature sensitivity of 14.34 pm/°C was determined.
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