Laser-induced degradation and damage morphology in polymer optical fibers

The radiation of pulsed laser systems can generate changes in various materials. On the one hand, these modifications can be used for a variety of applications i.e. laser welding, cutting and many more [1]. The precision and quality depends on the material and laser parameters. On the other hand, material changes are not always desired in other applications. When using optical materials such as optical fibers as a light guide or as a sensor, laser-induced damage effects inside the fiber are to be prevented to ensure constant light guidance and the reliable monitoring of a desired parameter. Therefore, investigations for quality assurance need to be performed. For this reason, this work investigates laserinduced damage in polymer optical fibers (POF) using a nanosecond pulsed laser system at a wavelength of 532 nm. The impact of different laser and fiber parameters on the long-term degradation behavior is observed. In addition, the overall degradation behavior as well as the knowledge gained by analyzing the damage morphology and distribution will be used to obtain a better understanding of the damage mechanisms.