Long-period fiber gratings fabricated with a CO2 laser beam and phase mask

A new holographic technique is proposed for fabricating long-period fiber gratings (LPGs) using a CO2-laser and a phase mask. A CO2 laser operating at 10.6 μm is incident normally on the phase mask and the diffracted interfering beams imprint a thermally induced periodic modulation into the cladding of the fiber placed behind the mask. Preliminary results of this technique are presented and discussed. An unusual self-tapered fiber LPG (STFLPG) is also presented.