Bragg Gratings Inscribed in Solid-Core Microstructured Single-Mode Polymer Optical Fiber Drawn From a 3D-Printed Polycarbonate Preform

[EN] This paper reports the first microstructured solid-core fiber drawn from a 3D-printed preform and the first fiber Bragg gratings inscribed in a fiber of this type. The presented fiber is made of polycarbonate and displays single-mode behavior. The fiber attenuation was the lowest reported so far for a POF drawn from a 3D-printed preform across a broad range of wavelengths. In addition, extensive fiber characterization results are presented and discussed including: fiber attenuation, mode simulations, dynamic thermomechanical analysis and thermo-optic coefficient. Fiber Bragg gratings are successfully inscribed in the produced fiber using three different lasers: a continuous wave helium-cadmium laser, a pulsed femtosecond frequency doubled ytterbium laser and ultra-violet nanosecond krypton fluoride laser. Mechanical testing of the fiber showed that the 3D printing approach did not introduce any unexpected or undesirable characteristics.This work was supported by the People Program (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union's Seventh Framework Program FP7/2007-2013/, through Research Executive Agency (REA), under Grant 608382. The work of Carlos A. F. Marques was supported in part by the Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT) under Grant UID/EEA/50008/2013, Grant UID/CTM/50025/2019, and Grant SAICTPAC/0036/2015, in part by the National Funds through the FCT/Ministerio da Educacao e Ciencia, in part by the European Regional Development Fund, through the PT2020 Partnership, and in part by national funds (OE), through FCT, in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5, and 6 of the article 23 (Decree-Law 57/2016, August 29, changed by Law 57/2017, July 19).Zubel, MG.; Fasano, A.; Woyessa, GT.; Min, R.; Leal-Junior, AG.; Theodosiou, A.; Marques, CAF.... (2020). Bragg Gratings Inscribed in Solid-Core Microstructured Single-Mode Polymer Optical Fiber Drawn From a 3D-Printed Polycarbonate Preform. IEEE Sensors Journal. 20(21):12744-12757. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2020.30034691274412757202