An ArF excimer laser was used to fabricate Bragg gratings in fibers with Bi-SiO2 core and microstructured or F-doped claddings without fiber presensitization. Average and modulated refractive index changes of 2.7 x 10(-4) and 1.0 x 10(-4) were induced in pristine microstructured fiber while 1.0 x 10(-4) and 0.7 x 10(-4) were observed in the F-doped-cladding fiber. Fiber luminescence was also measured under 1064 nm pumping for both fibers. Photosensitivity and luminescence were compared to a Bi-Al2O3-SiO2 core optical fiber. (c) 2012 Optical Society of America