Single-mode optical fiber for high-power, low-loss UV transmission

TL;DR

This paper introduces large-mode-area solid-core photonic crystal fibers made from fused silica that can transmit high-power ultraviolet light with low loss and resistance to solarization, enabling stable UV transmission for extended periods.

Contribution

The authors develop and demonstrate UV-resistant, high-power, single-mode fibers with low attenuation, using hydrogen loading and UV irradiation techniques.

Findings

Stable single-mode UV transmission over hundreds of hours

Fiber attenuation as low as 0.13 dB/m at 313 nm

Resistance to bending for radii above 50 mm

Abstract

We report large-mode-area solid-core photonic crystal fibers made from fused silica that resist ultraviolet (UV) solarization even at relatively high optical powers. Using a process of hydrogen loading and UV irradiation of the fibers, we demonstrate stable single-mode transmission over hundreds of hours for fiber output powers of 10 mW at 280 nm and 125 mW at 313 nm (limited only by the available laser power). Fiber attenuation ranges from 0.9 dB/m to 0.13 dB/m at these wavelengths, and is unaffected by bending for radii above 50 mm.