Optical Bragg grating sensor fibers for ultra-high temperature applications

Sapphire based optical fibers provide an attractive basis for ultra-high temperature stable optical sensor elements. Fiber Bragg gratings can be inscribed in such fibers by means of femtosecond-laser pulses with a wavelength of 400 nm in combination with a two-beam phase mask interferometer. We have investigated crystalline optical fibers as well as structured sapphire-derived all glass optical fibers with aluminum content in the core of up to 50 mol%. The reflection properties, the index modulation and the attenuation effects will be discussed. Results concerning the temperature and strain sensitivity for use as sensor elements at high temperatures will be presented.