Page 15 - Fiber Bragg Gratings

xiv Preface

order of magnitude larger still, leading to many more exciting possibilities.
There are a number of methods of the holographic inscription of Bragg
gratings, with the phase-mask technique holding a prominent position.
This book was born as a result of growing demands for yet more
review articles on the subject. It aims to fill the gap by bringing together
the fundamentals of fiber gratings, their specific characteristics, and many
of the applications. The book covers much of the fundamental material
on gratings and should be of interest to beginners, advanced researchers,
as well as those interested in the fabrication of many types of gratings.
It is impossible to cover the massive advances made in this field in
a book of this size, a field that continues to grow at an enormous rate
despite recent commercialization. A large reference list is provided, to
allow the interested reader to seek out specific topics in more detail. The
purpose of this book is therefore to introduce the reader to the extremely
rich area of the technology of fiber Bragg, with a view to providing insight
into some of the exciting prospects. It begins with the principles of fiber
Bragg gratings, photosensitization of optical fibers, Bragg grating fabrica-
tion, theory, properties of gratings, and specific applications, and con-
cludes with measurement techniques.
BT Laboratories, Raman Kashyap
Ipswich IPS 3RE,
United Kingdom
July 1998