Performance parameter for hydrogen-loaded fibers in DUV sensing applications

Multimode optical fibers are commonly used to guide ultraviolet (UV) light for optical sensing in laboratory and bioprocess applications. Despite improvements made over the last 25 years, they remain imperfect. In this paper, the attenuation in solarization-resistant deep ultraviolet (DUV) fiber types within the 185–400nm wavelength range was systematically evaluated. Additionally, UV-induced solarization at the E'-color center at 214 nm and the NBOH center at 260nm in fibers of various lengths were carried out to understand its nonlinear nature in more detail. Further, hydrogen-loaded fibers were compared to unloaded fibers using near-infrared (NIR) absorbance around 1100 and 1850nm correlated with hydrogen-concentrations. Finally, the implications of these findings for supporting DUV applications will be discussed.