Formation of gratings in optical fibers coated with UV-curable polymer

US6396983B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES INC. · US

Inventors

• Robert M. Atkins · Millington, US
• Arturo Hale · New York, US
• Francis Houlihan · Millington, US
• Valerie Jeanne Kuck · Upper Montclair, US
• Richard Olsson · Lidingö, SE
• Mark Anthony Paczkowski · Carteret, US
• Debra A Simoff · Simsbury, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 7, 2001
• Grant date: May 28, 2002
• Expiry date: Feb 7, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B2006/02161
• WIPO field: Materials, metallurgy
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

This invention is predicated upon applicants' discovery that UV-induced gratings can be formed through polymer coatings that include conjugated double bonds and aromatic moieties. Coatings with low concentrations of aromatic-containing free-radical photoinitiators provide both reasonable curing speeds and sufficient transparency that gratings can be written through them. Moreover some of these aromatic-containing free-radical photoinitiators act synergistically with non-aromatic ketone photoinitiators. Advantageous aromatic-containing free-radical photoinitiator concentrations are in the range 0.01%-0.1% and preferably in the range 0.02% to 0.05%. Advantageous polymer coatings are acrylate-based coatings.