Refractive index sensitivity in etched FBG in the visible range

Abstract

A visible fiber Bragg grating (Vis-FBG) with wavelength peak centered at 673.07 nm was inscribed in a multimode fiber designed for infrared (IR) operation using a femtosecond (fs) laser emitting at 248 nm. The fiber cladding is removed by chemical etching in hydrofluoric acid solution (40%). The sensor refractive index response is determined by dipping the sensor into diluted glycerin solution at different concentrations with refractive index range from 1.3328 to 1.4607. The Vis-FBG performance is compared with an IR etched FBG (EFBG) with similar diameter. The sensitivity found for the Vis-FBG sensor is 15.71nm/RIU with a 6.34 x 10-3 RIU resolution for a refractive index of 1.4607.