ArF excimer laser microprocessing of polymer optical fibers for photonic sensor applications

A study of polymer optical fiber microstructuring by use of deep ultraviolet excimer laser radiation at 193 nm wavelength is performed. The ablation characteristics of the fiber cladding and core materials are analyzed comparatively. The laser irradiation effects are dynamically studied by on-line monitoring of the laser ablation induced waveguiding losses, the latter being correlated with the spatial structuring parameters. The fiber surface is modified to incorporate cavities, which are subsequently employed as sensitive material receptors for the development of customized photonic sensors. The sensing capability of the microstructured plastic optical fibers is demonstrated by ammonia and humidity detection.