Abstract

Optical damage resulting from color center formation in fused silica fibers has been investigated at 193 nm. The observance of optical bleaching to reverse the induced absorption is reported for the first time for UV-irradiated fibers. A maximum recovery of 70% initial transmission was obtained when samples damaged by ArF radiation were bleached with 13 J/cm² of XeF light. A simple mathematical model, based on the kinetics of color center growth, correlates well with the observed induced absorption curves. Two quantities, the absorption saturation limit and the damage rate constant, characterize the fiber’s performance in specified experimental conditions. Their dependence on input fluence, fiber length, and manufacturer is documented. A color center damage threshold near 2 mj/cm² is identified.

© 1987 Optical Society of America