ABSTRACT
A relatively simple and cost-effective method to realise a novel long-period fibre grating (LPFG) based on blue phase liquid crystal (BPLC) composites was proposed and experimentally demonstrated by implementing photopolymerisation-induced phase separation (PIPS) through a binary photomask. The BPLC-polymer composite zones were obtained by a process of periodic ultraviolet light with phase separation of the BPLC molecules and UV-curable monomer mixture. The appearance and optical characteristics of the proposed LPFGs have been studied experimentally. Experimental results show that optimum PIPS process conditions are critical for achieving a reliable LPFG-based fibre device. Compared with the previously reported methods, this new technique for designing and making an LPFG is more cost-effective and highly flexible due to the ease in manufacturing of the grating composite structure in the all-fibre system, which can provide great potential for photonic applications.
Graphical abstract
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan for financially supporting this research under contracts: MOST 108-2221-E-239-022-
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).