Step-changed long-period fiber gratings

The spectral characteristics of a new type of long-period grating (LPG) structure, step-changed LPG, are investigated theoretically and experimentally. It is shown that the spectral profile of such gratings can be tailored by adjusting the step parameters. A good agreement between simulated results and measured spectra is obtained. This type of LPG has potential applications in gain flattening of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers.