The potentialities of the plasmachemical technology for fabrication of silica-based photosensitive optical fibers

Irreversible refractive index changes in silica-based optical fibers under the action of UV radiation (photorefractive effect) are associated with the presence of oxygen vacancies in the core glass (Si-ODC & Ge-ODC). Although the microscopic mechanism of the photorefractive effect has not been established in detail, it is Ge-ODC that ensure UV light delivery into the fiber core owing to their strong absorption band centered at 242 nm. Naturally, one of the ways of increasing photosensitivity of silica-based fibers is optimization of the preform fabrication regimes with a view to maximize the Ge-ODC concentration.