Photosensitivity of gallium-doped silica core fiber to 193 nm ArF excimer laser

Grating inscription in a Ga-doped silica core fiber (~5 wt. % Ga) has been demonstrated using ArF (193 nm) and KrF (248 nm) excimer lasers. In a comparative study with germanosilicate fiber with similar Ge concentration, a Ga-doped silica core fiber shows greater photosensitivity to an ArF excimer laser due to the higher absorbance in the region of 190-195 nm. In addition, the photosensitivity of a Ga-doped silica core fiber has been greatly enhanced with hydrogenation. Ga-doped fibers are potential photosensitive fibers for fiber Bragg grating production with an ArF excimer laser.