Optical filtering in plastic optical fibers

Nowadays, the possibility of the fibre to the home (FTTH) for simultaneous transmission of different services such as internet, telephone, digital television is a reality. However, to meet the more demanding expectations of the end user, it is necessary to improve the physical infrastructure of the existing communication networks in order to obtain the best ratio between quality of service and price of implementation. So, the demand for optical devices that process information at a reduced cost and are easy to install is increasing. In this work, it is presented fibre Bragg gratings produced in polymer optical fibres (PFBG). These new filters combine the extended capacity allowed by wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) operation with the easiness of operation of POF. The PFBG will also be considered in the development of new techniques and new innovative devices for sensing technologies. The thermal and mechanical properties of polymeric materials open new possibilities in terms of robustness, sensitivity and operating range of sensors. These sensors can be used to monitor several physical parameters and to detect gases and liquids and are quite interesting for many applications in engineering, including structural health and environmental monitoring, medicine, petrochemical industry and to the development of smart structures.