Carbon dioxide laser-assisted poling of silicate-based optical fibers

A novel poling method, carbon dioxide laser-assisted poling (CLAP), is demonstrated. Localized heating during CLAP is achieved through silicate absorption of the CO>(2) laser radiation. Electro-optic coefficients of 0.2 pm/V are achieved within a 55-s scan of a twin-hole fiber. It is shown that there is a range of CO>(2) laser powers for which the residual electro-optic coefficient is maximized.