Side-emitting optical fibers with surface modification

A method of fabricating a modified side-emitting optical fiber, the comprising:

• coating an optical fiber with a UV-C transparent polymer coating to yield a coated optical fiber, wherein a thickness of the UV-C transparent polymer coating is in a range of about 5 μm to about 50 μm;
• contacting the coated optical fiber with a solvent;
• and
• dissolving at least a portion of the UV-C transparent polymer coating in the solvent to yield a roughened UV-C transparent polymer coating on the optical fiber, wherein an average surface roughness of the roughened UV-C transparent polymer coating is in a range of about 0.35 μm to about 0.5 μm as measured by root mean square of distance difference measurements of the surface of the roughened UV-C transparent polymer coating,
• wherein the optical fiber with the roughened UV-C transparent polymer coating, when inserted in a 1-meter-long pipeline with two 180° bends, each having a bend diameter of 10 cm, emits no more side-emitted light at the bends than along straight sections of the side-emitting optical fiber, based on light measurements taken through 3 cm holes located every 10 cm length along the pipeline.