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We report on a one-step writing process of a planar waveguide including a Bragg grating structure in bulk Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). A KrF excimer laser and a phase mask covered by an amplitude mask were used to locally increase the refractive index in PMMA and thereby generate simultaneously the planar waveguide and the Bragg grating. Our results show a reflected wavelength of the Bragg grating of about 1558.5 nm in accordance to the phase mask period. The reflectivity of the grating is about 80%. Initial characteristics of the Bragg grating structure towards humidity are investigated.

A polymer planar Bragg grating sensor is used for measuring both mechanical compressive and tensile strain. The planar waveguide with integrated Bragg grating is fabricated in bulk Polymethylmethacrylate in a single writing step using combined amplitude and phase mask technique. After butt coupling of a single-mode optical fiber the planar structure can be applied for measuring both mechanical tensile and compressive strain alongside the integrated waveguide without the need of further modifications. In this respect, we particularly report for the first time compressive strain measurements using a polymer Bragg grating. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the sensor against tensile and compressive strain, its reproducibility and hysteresis are investigated and discussed.

Embedded channel waveguide Bragg gratings are fabricated in the Ormocer® hybrid polymers OrmoComp®, OrmoCore, and OrmoClad by employing a single writing step technique based on phase mask technology and KrF excimer laser irradiation. All waveguide Bragg gratings exhibit well-defined reflection peaks within the telecom wavelengths range with peak heights of up to 35 dB and −3 dB-bandwidths of down to 95 pm. Furthermore, the dependency of the fabricated embedded channel waveguide Bragg gratings on changes of the temperature and relative humidity are investigated. Here, we found that the Bragg grating in OrmoComp® is significantly influenced by humidity variations, while the Bragg gratings in OrmoCore and OrmoClad exhibit linear and considerably high temperature sensitivities of up to −250 pm/∘C and a linear dependency on the relative humidity in the range of −9 pm/%.

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