Observation of grating regeneration by direct CO(2) laser annealing.

In this work, we have demonstrated for the first time grating regeneration in hydrogenated fibers by direct CO(2) laser annealing. During the annealing process, the center wavelength redshifts as the intensity of the focused CO(2) laser on the grating is elevated. The reflectivity of the grating begins to decay as the temperature induced in the grating approaches the erasure temperature. The grating is completely erased and regenerated afterwards. The observed spectral results have provided the proof of occurrence of dehydroxylation and stress relaxation in the fiber core during the annealing process. Regenerated gratings with low loss, good temperature sensitivities and sustainability have been successfully developed by this technique.