title: Low-loss deposition of solgel-derived silica films on tapered fibers.
abstract: Films of porous silica are deposited on the uniform waists of tapered fibers in minutes by a modified solgel dip coating method, inducing less than 0.2 dB of loss. The coated tapers are an ideal platform for realizing all-fiber devices that exploit evanescent-field interactions with the deposited porous film. As an example we demonstrate structural long-period gratings in which a periodic index variation in the film arises from the porosity variation produced by spatially varying exposure of the waist to a scanned CO2 laser beam. The long period grating is insensitive to temperature up to 800 degrees C.
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Group, Department of Physics, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK. gkakaran@mail.ntua.gr
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kakarantzas
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Leon-Saval
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Birks
authors.forename: P St J
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Russell