Method for creating an optical sensing fiber having a reflective structure integrally disposed therein, comprising: providing an optical fiber having a core and a cladding layer disposed in optical contact with the core, and having a polymer coating layer disposed in contact with and surrounding the cladding layer, the coating layer at least partially transparent in the wavelengths of 390-600 nm; providing a source of electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength in the range of 390-600 nm; and delivering a selected wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation through the coating layer to a selected location within the fiber core or cladding such that the delivered electromagnetic radiation alters the core or cladding to create at least one reflective structure in the core or cladding at the selected location.

The present invention relates to a novel method and system for inscription of periodic patterns inside or on a surface of a substrate using femtosecond pulse lasers. The method comprises the following steps: (a) receiving a plurality of femtosecond laser pulsed beams, each beam having a certain pulse duration, flux, focal spot size, profile and energy at a certain wavelength of operation; (b) controlling at least one of the pulse duration, flux, focal spot size, focal spot shape, profile and energy of the plurality of laser pulsed beams; (c) directing the plurality of laser pulsed beams onto a certain region of a substrate having an optical axis, to thereby selectively induce at least one of local index change, microvoids and stress-modulated region at a point of interaction between each beam and the certain region; (d) controllably displacing the substrate along its optical axis to create the periodic patterns on a first plane of inscription along the optical axis; and (e) creating spaced-apart planes across the substrate having a controlled index profile.

There is provided a method to fabricate optical taps and waveguide devices in photonic crystal fibers and other fibers with hollow structures. The method involves a preparation step, where the hollow holes inside the fiber are collapsed or partially modified locally; and a waveguide fabrication step, where a femtosecond laser is focused inside the fiber and used to produce optical waveguides that interact in the region that was previously modified in the preparation step.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for optical applications, a spectrometer system and method for producing an apparatus for optical applications, and in particular to an apparatus comprising an optical waveguide having a first refractive index along a light propagation axis interrupted by a plurality of scattering portions having a second refractive index. Each scattering portion has a long axis substantially perpendicular to the light propagation axis as well as a short axis substantially perpendicular to the light propagation axis and the long axis. A receiver unit or a transmitter unit is arranged on a side of the optical waveguide, the long axis being substantially perpendicular, i.e. normal to the plane of this side on which the receiver unit or transmitter unit is arranged. Accordingly, simplification and miniaturization of an optical apparatus can be realized.

A laser delivery device may include a connector portion at a proximal end of the laser delivery device and an optical fiber connecting the connector portion to a distal end of the laser delivery device. The connector portion may include a capillary at least partially surrounding a proximal portion of the optical fiber, and the capillary may include dimples on at least a portion of a circumferential surface thereof.

A reflector includes a gain fiber and a periodic refraction structure unit. The gain fiber has a core doped with a rare earth element. The periodic refraction structure unit includes a high-refractive-index region that has a predetermined width, that is formed at a predetermined spacing along an optical axis direction of the gain fiber, that is formed across an entire section of the core that is orthogonal to the optical axis of the core, and that has a first refractive index, and a low-refractive-index region that is formed adjacent to the high-refractive-index region, that has a width equal to the predetermined spacing, and that has a second refractive index lower than the first refractive index. A width d.sub.i of an i.sup.th periodic structure of refractive index in the periodic refraction structure unit is given by the equation d.sub.i=H.sub.i.Math.(/(2.Math.n.sub.i))+/(4.Math.n.sub.i).

A method of manufacturing an optical fiber sensing device includes steps of moving an optical fiber having a core linearly along a first direction, during the moving, directly writing a number of nanograting structures into the core using a laser beam generated by an ultrafast laser system, wherein the number of nanograting structures form a number of scattering points; and forming an energy transducing element on an outer surface of the optical fiber, wherein the number of scattering points is/are structured and configured to scatter light out of fiber core and into the transducing element to provide local power for the optical fiber sensing device. A system for performing the method is also provided.

A method of making an optical fiber sensor device for distributed sensing includes generating a laser beam comprising a plurality of ultrafast pulses, and focusing the laser beam into a core of an optical fiber to form a nanograting structure within the core, wherein the nanograting structure includes a plurality of spaced nanograting elements each extending substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of optical fiber. Also, an optical fiber sensor device for distributed sensing includes an optical fiber having a longitudinal axis, a core, and a nanograting structure within the core, wherein the nanograting structure includes a plurality of spaced nanograting elements each extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the optical fiber. Also, a distributed sensing method and system and an energy production system that employs such an optical fiber sensor device.

A manufacturing device of an optical fiber grating to write a grating in a core of an optical fiber by irradiating the optical fiber with laser light includes: a fixing device that fixes the optical fiber to at least one of a first position located more on an upstream side and a second position located more on a downstream side in a conveyance direction of the optical fiber than a laser light irradiating position of the optical fiber in a case of writing the grating; and a feeder having a structure capable of linearly reciprocating in the conveyance direction and adapted to feed a predetermined length of the optical fiber in the conveyance direction in a case where a fixed state of the optical fiber by the fixing device is released.

A laser delivery device may include a connector portion at a proximal end of the laser delivery device and an optical fiber connecting the connector portion to a distal end of the laser delivery device. The connector portion may include a capillary at least partially surrounding a proximal portion of the optical fiber, and the capillary may include dimples on at least a portion of a circumferential surface thereof.