METHOD FOR FORMING A PROTECTIVE COATING ON AN OPTICAL FIBER

An optical fiber having a carbonized or diamond-like coating and a method for manufacturing same is provided. The carbonized or diamond-like coating is formed by modifying the polymer coatings typically used by optical fiber manufacturers to protect the optical fiber from mechanical and environmental damage. The carbonized coating is formed by heating the fiber at a controlled temperature for a predetermined period of time to carbonize the polymer layers. This carbonization results in a reduced fiber diameter resulting in excellent adhesion of the carbonized or diamond-like coating without substantially decreasing the mechanical strength of the optical fiber. The carbonized coating also assists in mounting the optical fiber, especially where adhesion of the coating to the cladding of the fiber is important, such as in a device where strain is applied to a fiber grating to tune the photosensitivity of the grating.