Protection Method for Diameter-downsized Fiber Bragg Gratings for Highly Sensitive Ultraviolet Light Sensors

We suggested the use of miniature hollow glass tubes having high ultraviolet (UV) transmission characteristics for the protection of optical-fiber-type UV sensors. We have recently proposed a highly sensitive optical sensor in the UV spectral range, using a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) coated with an azobenzene polymer as the photoresponsive material. In this study, we used UV-transparent miniature glass tubes to protect the etched FBG with the azobenzene polymer coating. This technique will be very useful for protecting various fiber-based UV sensors.