Carbon dioxide laser-assisted poling of silicate-based optical fibers

A novel poling method, carbon dioxide laser-assisted poling (CLAP), is demo nstrated. Localized heating during CLAP is achieved through silicate absorp tion of the CO2 laser radiation. Electro-optic coefficients of 0.2 pm/V are achieved within a 55-s scan of a twin-hole fiber. It is shown that there i s a range of CO2 laser powers for which the residual electro-optic coeffici ent is maximized. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 190.4370, 060.2400, 140.3390, 160.2100.