Highly photosensitive Sb/Er/Ge-codoped silica fiber for writing fiber Bragg gratings with strong high-temperature sustainability

A highly photosensitive Sb/Er/Ge-codoped silica fiber for fabricating fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) with strong high-temperature sustainability is presented. The photosensitivity and the high-temperature sustainability of FBGs created in this fiber are examined and compared with those produced in a Sn-doped silica fiber. The results show that the Sb/Er/Ge fiber has a much higher level of photosensitivity than the Sn-doped silica fiber and that the FBGs have a similar high-temperature sustainability of 800 degrees C. The strong fluorescence properties observed from this fiber are also examined.