Microstructure-Based Fiber-To-Chip Coupling of Polymer Planar Bragg Gratings for Harsh Environment Applications

This article proposes and demonstrates a robust microstructure-based fiber-to-chip coupling scheme for planar Bragg grating devices. A polymer planar Bragg grating substrate is manufactured and microstructured by means of a micromilling process, while the respective photonic structures are generated by employing a sophisticated single-writing UV-exposure method. A stripped standard single mode fiber is inserted into the microstructure, which is filled with a UV-curable adhesive, and aligned with the integrated waveguide. After curing, final sensor assembly and thermal treatment, the proposed coupling scheme is capable of withstanding pressures up to 10 bar, at room temperature, and pressures up to 7.5 bar at an elevated temperature of 120 °C. Additionally, the coupling scheme is exceedingly robust towards tensile forces, limited only by the tensile strength of the employed single mode fiber. Due to its outstanding robustness, the coupling scheme enables the application of planar Bragg grating devices in harsh environments. This fact is underlined by integrating a microstructure-coupled photonic device into the center of a commercial-grade carbon fiber-reinforced polymer specimen. After its integration, the polymer-based Bragg grating sensor still exhibits a reflection peak with a dynamic range of 24 dB, and can thus be employed for sensing purposes.