Method for impressing gratings within fiber optics
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsWilliam H. Glenn, Gerald Meltz, Elias Snitzer
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Abstract
An optical fiber has a dielectric periodic index of refraction phase grating established in its core by intense angled application of several transverse beams of ultraviolet light, enabling the establishment of a distributed, spatially resolving optical fiber strain gauge.
Claims5
An optical fiber having a single core including at least one grating with a predetermined grating spacing permanently provided in at least one grating region of the core by exposing the core to an interference pattern resulting from mutual interference of two beams of ultraviolet radiation simultaneously directed at the fiber at such different acute angles of incidence relative to the longitudinal axis of the core that the interference pattern has fringes situated at said predetermined grating spacing from each other and propagates transversely through the core with attendant permanent change in the index of refraction of the core in correspondence with the interference pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.