Thermal stability of the 248-nm-induced presensitization process in standard H2-loaded germanosilicate fibers

Grating growths through exposure of presensitized standard fibers to KrF light were recorded in various experimental conditions. It is shown that there exists an optimum sensitization fluence at which the efficiency of the sensitization process is higher. Isochronal thermal annealing of pre-exposed fibers led to a decrease in the sensitization-induced enhancement of photosensitivity. IR-absorption spectroscopy was carried out in fibers or preform plates to monitor the attenuation ascribed to H-bearing species in the same samples. The annealing-induced decay in. photosensitivity cannot be correlated with those of the H-bearing species in the whole temperature range (110degrees C-800degrees C. This indicates that the enhancement of photosensitivity comes from the transformation of more than one species. (C) 2002 Optical Society of America.