Title :
Femtosecond Laser Structuring of Polymer Optical Fibers for Backscatter Sensing
Author :
Liehr, S. ; Burgmeier, J. ; Krebber, K. ; Schade, Wolfgang
Author_Institution :
Div. 8.6 “Opt. & Fibre Opt. Methods”, BAM Fed. Inst. for Mater. Res. & Testing, Berlin, Germany
Abstract :
Focused femtosecond laser pulses are used to create scattering damage in the core of polymer optical fibers (POF). The resulting structures are investigated regarding morphology by light microscopy and backscattered intensity using optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR). Quasi-distributed optical fiber sensing is proposed by evaluating backscatter changes at the inscribed scatter centers. Application examples for quasi-distributed measurement of fiber bends and temperature are demonstrated.
Keywords :
fibre optic sensors; high-speed optical techniques; optical polymers; time-domain reflectometry; backscatter sensing; backscattered intensity; femtosecond laser structuring; fiber bends; fiber temperature; focused femtosecond laser pulses; inscribed scatter centers; light microscopy; morphology; optical time domain reflectometry; polymer optical fibers; quasidistributed measurement; quasidistributed optical fiber sensing; scattering damage; Backscatter; Fiber lasers; Materials; Optical fiber dispersion; Optical fiber sensors; Optical fibers; Femtosecond laser; micromachining; optical fiber sensors; polymer; polymer optical fiber;
Journal_Title :
Lightwave Technology, Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JLT.2013.2250483
