Fiber Bragg gratings in carbon-coated optical fibers and techniques for making same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9822035-B2
Application number	US-201615144563-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2016
Priority date	Mar 14, 2013
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

A technique is described for fabricating one or more optical devices in a carbon-coated optical fiber. A photosensitive optical fiber is provided having a hermetic carbon coating. Further provided is a laser having a beam output that is configured to inscribe one or more refractive index modulations into the optical fiber through the hermetic carbon layer while leaving the hermetic carbon layer intact. The laser is used to inscribe one or more optical devices into the optical fiber through the hermetic carbon layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical fiber comprising:
a waveguide comprising a photosensitive core region and a surrounding cladding region;
a hermetic carbon coating surrounding the waveguide; and
a secondary outer coating surrounding the carbon coating,
wherein the secondary outer coating has an absorption at a given wavelength that allows one or more optical devices to be inscribed into the fiber, in a post-secondary-coating process, through the secondary outer coating and the carbon coating, using a laser operating at the given wavelength.

2. The optical fiber of claim 1 , wherein the secondary outer coating comprises a polymer.

3. The optical fiber of claim 2 , wherein the secondary outer coating comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of acrylates, aliphatic polyacrylates, silesesquioxanes, alkyl substituted silicones and vinyl ethers.

4. The optical fiber of claim 2 , wherein the secondary outer coating comprises a polyimide.

5. The optical fiber of claim 2 , wherein the secondary outer coating comprises an epoxy polymer.

6. The optical fiber of claim 5 , wherein the secondary outer coating comprises an aliphatic epoxy polymer.

7. The optical fiber of claim 6 , wherein the secondary outer coating comprises an aliphatic epoxy silicone polymer.

Assignees

• Hokansson Adam
• Kudelko David J
• Li Yaowen
• Ng Joanna Y
• Simoff Debra A
• Ofs Fitel Llc

Inventors

• Hokansson Adam
• Kudelko David J
• Li Yaowen
• Ng Joanna Y
• Simoff Debra A

Classifications

• B23K26/364

  for making a groove or trench, e.g. for scribing a break initiation groove · CPC title

• C03B2201/31

  doped with germanium · CPC title

• C03C2218/152

  by cvd · CPC title

• C03B2201/22

  doped with deuterium · CPC title

• C03B2201/21

  doped with molecular hydrogen · CPC title