Abstract: Chiral fiber gratings are produced in a microforming process in which optical fibers with noncircular or nonconcentric cores are twisted as they pass though a miniature oven. Periodic glass structures as stable as the glass material itself are produced with helical pitch that ranges from under a micron to hundreds of microns. The geometry of the fiber cross section determines the symmetry of the resulting structure which in turn determines its polarization selectivity. Single helix structures are polarization insensitive while double helix gratings interact only with a single optical polarization. Both single and double helix gratings may act as a fiber long period grating, coupling the core and cladding modes. The coupling is manifested in a series of narrow dips in the transmission spectrum. The dip position is sensitive to fiber elongation, twist and temperature, and to the refractive index of the surrounding medium. The suitability of chiral gratings for sensing pressure, temperature and liquid levels is investigated. Polarization insensitive single helix silica glass gratings display excellent stability up to temperatures of 6000C, while a pressure sensor with dynamic range of nearly 40 dB is demonstrated in polarization selective double helix gratings.

Abstract: Abstract 10.1002/mop.1184.abs We report on the successful use of niobium microbolometers coupled to microstrip dipole antennas for the detection of midinfrared radiation. Measurements of the detector response versus antenna length performed at the 10.6 μm wavelength allowed us to identify the first three current-wave resonances along the antenna arms. The detector response was also measured as a function of the radiation wavelength in the 911 μm spectral domain. Excellent agreement between the experimental results and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) predictions was obtained.