Photonic crystal fiber sensor based on hybrid mechanisms: Plasmonic and directional resonance coupling

We propose a special refractive index sensor design based on a photonic crystal fiber. Two analyte channels are introduced, with one analyte channel coated with gold layer and the other one without gold layer. A hybrid resonance method is used in the sensor to achieve a large dynamic index range, where surface plasmon resonance occurs when the analyte index is lower than that of the fiber material, while the core mode couples with the resonant mode of the adjacent analyte-filled cylinder when the analyte index is larger than the fiber material. When considering fluorinated polymer fibers, a broad index range of analyte refractive index from 1.25 to 1.45 with high sensitivity can be achieved. The maximal sensitivities reach 1.4 × 10⁴ nm/RIU and 2.7 × 10⁴ nm/RIU respectively when refractive index is in the range of 1.25 to 1.383 and 1.383 to 1.45. The sensor characteristics, make this simple sensor very interesting for detecting a wide range of fluid's refractive index or chemical agent concentration.     

基于表面等离子体共振的新型超宽带微结构光纤传感器研究

基于表面等离子体共振的微结构光纤传感器具有高灵敏、免标记和实时监控等优点.如今,由于此类传感器广泛应用于食品安全控制、环境检测、生物分子分析物检测等诸多领域而受到大量研究.然而,目前所报道的绝大多数此类传感器只能应用于可见光或近中红外传感.因此,对可应用于中红外传感的表面等离子体共振微结构光纤传感器的研究是一项极具挑战性的工作.基于此,本文设计了一种可以工作在近红外和中红外区域的新型高灵敏表面等离子体共振微结构光纤传感器.传感器采用双芯单样品通道结构,该结构不仅可以消除相邻样品通道间的相互干扰和提高传感器的信噪比,还可以在超宽带波长范围内实现高灵敏检测.采用全矢量有限元法对其传感特性进行了系统的研究,研究结果表明:当待测样品折射率分布在1.423—1.513范围内时,传感器不仅可以在1.548—2.796μm的超宽带波长范围内进行工作,而且其平均灵敏度高达13964 nm/RIU.此外,传感器的最高波长灵敏度和折射率分辨率分别为17900 nm/RIU,5.59×10^–7 RIU.     

Integrated photonic glucose biosensor using a vertically coupled microring resonator in polymers

A photonic glucose biosensor incorporating a vertically coupled polymeric microring resonator was proposed and accomplished. The concentration of a glucose solution was estimated by observing the shift in the resonant wavelength of the resonator. For achieving higher sensitivity the contrast between the effective refractive index of the polymeric waveguide and that of the analyte was minimized. Actually, the effective refractive index of the polymeric waveguide (n = ∼1.390) was substantially close to that (n = ∼1.333) of the fresh solution with no glucose. The fabricated resonator sensor with the free spectral range of 0.66 nm yielded a sensitivity of ∼280 pm/(g/dL), which corresponds to ∼200 nm/RIU (refractive index units) as a refractometric sensor, and provided a detection limit of refractive index change on the order of 10⁻⁵ RIU.     

Ultrahigh sensitivity polarimetric strain sensor based upon D-shaped optical fiber and surface plasmon resonance technology

An ultrahigh sensitivity polarimetric strain sensor is proposed based upon a four-layer D-shaped optical fiber and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology. In contrast to existing SPR-based sensors, which are based on changes in the refractive index of the overlayer, the sensor proposed in this study is based on the change in the refractive index of the fiber core in response to the application of an axial load. Specifically, the phase difference between the P and S waves after passing through the sensor under SPR conditions is measured using a common-path heterodyne interferometer and is used to determine the corresponding change in the refractive index of the core, from which the strain is then inversely derived. The experimental results show that the sensitivity of the proposed sensor is around 2.19×10? deg/ε, i.e., degree/strain. By contrast, that of a conventional (non-SPR) polarimetric fiber sensor is just 5.2×102 deg/ε. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the sensor proposed in this study represents the first reported attempt to exploit the refractive index change of the core of an SPR-based fiber sensor for strain measurement purposes.     

A high-sensitive fiber curvature sensor using twin core fiber-based filter

A high-sensitive fiber curvature sensor is proposed and experimentally demonstrated in a large measurement range by using a twin core fiber (TCF)-based filter as sensor head. Applying the coupled-mode theory and equivalent refractive index model, we theoretically anticipate the “blue shift” of the transmission dips of the TCF-based filter when sensor head is bent. Experimentally, we fabricate an 86.9 mm TCF-based filter with a free spectral range of 49 nm and characterize its curvature performance by measuring the wavelength shift. A nonlinear “blue shift” of the wavelength is observed when we increase the curvature. The relationship between wavelength shift and curvature is a second-order polynomial function. In the range from 0 to 9.30 m^?1, the maximum sensitivity is up to ?14.7 nm/m^?1. The measurement range can be further increased by selecting a shorter TCF.     

反射式光纤表面等离子体波共振传感器特性研究

研究了一种基于表面等离子体波共振(SPR)光谱分析的折射率检测新方法。研究发现,表面等离子体波共振效应光谱特征的折射率灵敏度会随着液体性质变化而发生改变。根据折射率测量范围不同,分别选择共振波长和共振强度作为检测参量,实现理论折射率分辨力达到10~(-5)数量级以上。在理论分析和实验基础上,设计出一种基于共振光强检测的终端反射式光纤表面等离子体波共振效应传感系统,采用将传感信号和基准光信号的比值作为液体折射率变化的度量值。在1．3325～1．3991的折射率测量范围内,度量值与折射率之间呈现单调递减关系,线性相关系数为0．9983。通过定义耦合系数,还可实现对表面等离子体波共振效应效应强弱和变化趋势的评估。     

Polarization detection analysis of dual-channel surface plasmon resonance sensing for silicone oils based on the D-shaped fiber with a central hole

We present and numerically characterize a dual channel surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on a D-shaped fiber with a central hole for silicone oil detections. The proposed design incorporates two metalized channels to facilitate the simultaneous detection of one group of silicone oils, which can consist of two different species. It has been demonstrated that the p-polarized input light can induce two peaks among surface plasmon resonance places, which come from the coupling between the core-guided mode and the fundamental surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes at the D-shaped surface and around the central hole surface. However, the s-polarized input light can only induce one peak among surface plasmon resonance places, which comes from the coupling between the core-guided mode and the fundamental SPP mode around the central hole surface. The simulation results show that the characteristic responses of two channels independently correspond to the refractive index variations in the silicone oils with which they are in contact. A maximum sensitivity of 3500 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) and 4400 nm/RIU are achieved for channel A and B, respectively. This kind of sensor structure and polarization related demodulation method is promising in the simultaneous multi-analytes sensing applications in the future.     

Numerical study of a highly sensitive surface plasmon resonance sensor based on circular-lattice holey fiber

A new design of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor employing circular-lattice holey fiber to achieve high-sensitivity detection is proposed. The sensing performance of the proposed sensor is numerically investigated and the results indicate that our proposed SPR sensor can be applied to the near-mid infrared detection. Moreover, the maximum wavelength sensitivity of our proposed sensor can reach as high as 1.76×10⁴ nm/refractive index unit (RIU) and the maximum wavelength interrogation resolution can be up to 5.68×10^-6 RIU when the refractive index (RI) of analyte lies in (1.31, 1.36). Thanks to its excellent sensing performance, our proposed SPR sensor will have great potential applications for biological analytes detection, food safety control, bio-molecules detection and so on.     

侧边抛磨的U型金溅射塑料光纤等离子体共振传感器

为了测量溶液折射率变化，对塑料光纤纤芯表面的纤芯-金层-液体的3层膜结构进行研究，制作了一种使用U型结构并结合侧边抛磨方法的表面等离子体共振传感器。将截取的一段塑料光纤弯曲成为U型，并在烘箱中通过较高温度使这段光纤的曲率固定，对弯曲部分的外表面进行抛光，暴露该位置塑料光纤芯层并在其上溅射金纳米薄膜层，将制备好的传感器浸入不同折射率的液体中，使用光谱分析仪观察光谱的移动。实验结果表明:当塑料光纤SPR传感器测量折射率变化范围在1.333~1.406的液体时，可以通过光谱观察到随着液体折射率的增大，等离子体共振吸收峰位置也不断地向波长增大的方向移动，并且二者之间存在线性关系，其灵敏度为7.5×10-4 RIU/nm。该传感器探头具有灵敏度高、小型化、易制备、低成本的特点。     

基于银纳米线的类熊猫型微结构光纤传感器

设计了基于银纳米线等离子体共振效应的大孔径微流通道的类熊猫型微结构光纤传感器,采用全矢量有限元法对该传感器进行了数值研究,讨论了待测液折射率等参数对光纤传感器的损耗和灵敏度的影响。结果表明:随着待测液折射率和银纳米线直径的增大,损耗和光谱峰值λpeak都将增大;并且当银纳米线的直径增加到一定程度时,损耗和灵敏度都会呈现多峰值现象。最后取银纳米线直径d=150 nm,得到最大幅度灵敏度为910 dB/RIU,最大光谱灵敏度为1 400 nm/RIU。     

Sensitivity enhancement for a multimode fiber sensor with an axisymmetric metal grating layer

This paper proposes a novel design for a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) fiber sensor with an axisymmetric sub-wavelength metal grating layer. The relationship between the sensor performance (the sensitivity S and the quality factor Q of the SPR dip) and the characteristic parameters are investigated. Numerical simulation results show that the proposed sensor can achieve a maximum sensitivity of 13,000 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) for a refractive index range from 1.3 to 1.4.     

基于光纤气泡和纤芯失配的Mach-Zehnder干涉液体折射率传感器

介绍了一种基于光纤气泡和纤芯失配的Mach-Zehnder干涉液体折射率传感器. 将两根纤芯经过腐蚀的普通单模光纤熔接在一起, 在熔接点处形成一个气泡, 在距气泡20 mm处级联一段20 mm的细芯光纤, 再接入一段单模光纤, 形成单模光纤-气泡-单模光纤-细芯光纤-单模光纤结构的传感器. 气泡与光纤芯径失配处的两个节点起到光纤耦合器的作用, 从而形成光纤Mach-Zehnder干涉仪. 环境液体折射率的变化,将使得传感器透射谱能量发生变化, 通过测量干涉谱波峰峰值能量从而实现对折射率的测量. 并对所制作传感器的折射率响应特性进行了实验研究, 实验结果表明干涉谱波峰峰值能量与环境液体折射率之间存在良好的线性关系, 当环境液体折射率变化范围在1.351–1.402时, 响应灵敏度为143.537 dB/RIU, 线性度0.996. 该传感器在生物化学领域有较好的应用前景. 关键词： 光纤气泡 纤芯失配 Mach-Zehnder干涉仪 折射率传感     

Simultaneous measurement of refractive index and temperature using dual-period grapefruit microstructured fiber grating

By cascading the long period fiber grating (LPFG) and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in grapefruit microstructured fiber, a novel dual-period fiber grating sensor is proposed. The refractive index and temperature are measured simultaneously by using the different sensitivity of FBG and LPFG. The relationship between dual-period fiber grating transmission spectrum and refractive index, resonant wavelengths and temperature are analyzed theoretically, respectively. The simulation results show that the accuracy of the sensor in measuring refractive index and temperature is estimated to be 2319.6 nm/RIU in a range from 1.33 to 1.36 and 0.017 nm/°C from 0 °C to 100 °C, respectively. Thus, the sensor has high refractive index sensitivity, and can provide the theoretical foundation for the optical fiber biosensor.     

High sensitivity dual core photonic crystal fiber sensor for simultaneous detection of two samples

The optical control ability of photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is a distinctive property suitable for improving sensing and plasma performance. This article proposes a dual-core D-channel PCF sensor that can detect two samples simultaneously, which effectively solves the problems of coating difficulty and low wavelength sensitivity. The PCF has four layers of air holes, which dramatically reduces the optical fiber loss and is more conducive to the application of sensors in actual production. In addition, by introducing dual cores on the upper and lower sides of the central air hole, reducing the spacing between the core and the gold nanolayer, a stronger evanescent field can be generated in the cladding air hole. The optical fiber sensor can detect the refractive index of two samples simultaneously with a maximum sensitivity of 21300 nm/RIU. To the best of our knowledge, the sensitivity achieved in this work is the highest sensitivity with the dual sample synchronous detection sensors. The detection range of the refraction index is 1.35-1.41, and the resolution of the sensor is 4.695×10^-6. Overall, the sensor will be suitable for medical detection, organic chemical sensing, analyte detection, and other fields.     

内置调制层型光纤表面等离子体波共振传感器研究

研究了一种基于内置调制层结构的光纤表面等离子体波共振(SPR)传感器。通过在金膜与纤芯的内侧增覆具有不同厚度和属性的光学透明薄膜作为内调制层,构成了性能独特的光电复合薄膜,起到调节倏逝波矢量和金膜表面等离子体振荡波矢量的双重作用,进而控制共振效应,为调节灵敏度提供依据。采用时域有限差分方法对内置调制层结构光纤SPR共振激励模型属性进行数值仿真。在此基础上,研制了用于液体折射率测量的内置调制层型光纤SPR传感探针。实验结果表明,该传感器在1.335～1.392折射率范围内,随着待测液体折射率的增大,SPR共振光谱向长波方向偏移,且灵敏度达到2263.1nm/RIU,与基于纤芯-金膜-环境介质三层结构的常规光纤SPR传感器相比提高一倍,能够更好地满足环境折射率检测的需求。     

Numerical analysis of a photonic crystal fiber based on two polarized modes for biosensing applications

This paper presents a theoretical study on a photonic crystal fiber plasmonic refractive index biosensor. The proposed photonic crystal fiber sensor introduces the concept of simultaneous detection with the linearly polarized and radially polarized modes because the sensing performance of the sensor based on both modes is relatively high, which will be useful for selecting the modes to make the detection accurately. The sharp single resonant peaks of the linearly polarized mode and radially polarized mode, are stronger and more sensitive to the variation of analyte refractive index than that of any other polarized mode in this kind of photonic crystal fiber. For linearly polarized mode and radially polarized mode, the maximum sensitivities of 10448.5nm per refractive index unit and 8230.7nm per refractive index unit can be obtained, as well as 949.8 and 791.4 for figure of merits in the sensing range of 1.33-1.45, respectively. Compared with the conventional Au-metalized surface plasmon resonance sensors, our device is better and can be applied as a biosensor.     

Three-hole microstructured optical fiber for efficient fiber Bragg grating refractometer

We present a photosensitive three-hole microstructured optical fiber specifically designed to improve the refractive index sensitivity of a standard fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor photowritten in the suspended Ge-doped silica core. We describe the specific photowriting procedure used to realize gratings in such a fiber. We then determine their spectral sensitivity to the refractive index changes of material filling the holes surrounding the core. The sensitivity is compared with that of standard FBGs photowritten in a six-hole fiber with a larger core diameter. We demonstrate an improvement in the sensitivity by two orders of magnitude and reach a resolution of 3 x 10(-5) and 6 x 10(-6) around mean refractive index values of 1.33 and 1.40, respectively.     

A novel plasmonic refractive index sensor based on gold/silicon complementary grating structure

A novel complementary grating structure is proposed for plasmonic refractive index sensing due to its strong resonance at near-infrared wavelength.The reflection spectra and the electric field distributions are obtained via the finite-difference time-domain method.Numerical simulation results show that multiple surface plasmon resonance modes can be excited in this novel structure.Subsequently,one of the resonance modes shows appreciable potential in refractive index sensing due to its wide range of action with the environment of the analyte.After optimizing the grating geometric variables of the structure,the designed structure shows the stable sensing performance with a high refractive index sensitivity of 1642 nm per refractive index unit(nm/RIU)and the figure of merit of 409 RIU^-1.The promising simulation results indicate that such a sensor has a broad application prospect in biochemistry.     

Optical fiber Bragg grating hydrogen sensor based on evanescent-field interaction with palladium thin-film transducer

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors in single-mode optical fibers are widely applied for measurement of temperature and strain. If exposing FBG sensors to an external analyte by planar side-polishing technique of the fiber, evanescent-field interaction yields a Bragg wavelength shift also by changing the refractive index of the analyte. Deposition of sensor-specific transducer layers on the side-polished fiber can specify this spectrally encoding and network-capable optochemical fiber Bragg grating refractometry to the monitoring of specific substances, absorbed gases and vapors. In this paper, the sensor principle is demonstrated for the example of a hydrogen gas sensor based on a palladium thin-film transducer. Hydrogen in 0.1–4% volume concentration range can be monitored by the spectral shift of the Bragg wavelength, which is caused by the decreasing complex refractive index of Pd with increasing absorption of hydrogen.     

基于光纤M-Z干涉的高灵敏度液体折射率传感器的实验研究

提出并制备了一种基于Mach-Zehnder干涉效应的高灵敏度光纤液体折射率传感器.分别利用NaCl溶液和甘油溶液,研究了传感器的透射光谱和外界介质折射率的关系.实验结果表明,随着周围介质折射率的增大,传感器干涉谱的极小值点对应的波长向长波方向漂移,在1.333～1.356的折射率变化范围内,极小值点对应的波长的漂移量和折射率的变化具有较好的线性关系,对应的灵敏度约为4 086nm/refractive-index.该传感器制作简单、结构紧凑,在生物和化学测量中具有较好的应用前景.