An alternative technique that uses a flame-brush at high
temperature to enhance UV light photosensitivity in an optical fiber
is described. An extreme low-cost air aspirated propane-butane
mini-torch is used, which produces a lower temperature flame than
the one in the flame-brush original technique. It is shown that this
change in the previous technique is also capable of improving
photosensitivity and allowing the fiber Bragg grating imprinting
process to be accelerated. Since the flame-brush photosensitivity
enhancement process is designed to operate in an automated fiber
taper rig, the process was evaluated in optical fiber tapers with
different diameters. In this case, changes in photosensitivity are
observed in the tapers in addition to the intrinsic photosensitivity
occurring in the pristine fiber without being tapered.
