高性能反谐振空芯光纤导光机理与实验制作研究进展

传统实芯光纤无法克服材料本身固有的非线性、色散、瑞利散射、光照损伤等缺陷,微结构空芯光纤有望解决这些本征性问题,可以为高功率激光、非线性光学、生物光子学、量子光学、光纤传感、光通信等应用提供一个理想而方便的媒介.在技术实现的道路上存在着光子禁带空芯光纤和反谐振空芯光纤两种选项.后者具有宽带导光和高激光损伤阈值等优点,但是一直受困于较高的传输损耗.这一情况随着最近几年人们对反谐振导光机理和光纤制作技术研究的快速推进正在逐渐发生转变.本文回顾了我们团队五年来开展的系统性的理论和实验工作,介绍了一套直观的可定量计算的反谐振导光机制理论,展示了最新研制的高性能光纤.通过合理利用光纤结构中的局域性和全局性特征,突破了半解析计算反谐振空芯光纤限制损耗的难题;通过对光纤拉制条件的精密控制,制作出了紫外到中红外波段的各型光纤;并对进一步提高光纤性能和在此基础上的更丰富的光学应用研究进行了展望.     

Spatiotemporal propagation dynamics of intense optical pulses in loosely confined gas-filled hollow-core fibers

We numerically study the propagation dynamics of intense optical pulses in gas-filled hollow-core fibers(HCFs). The spatiotemporal dynamics of the pulses show a transition from tightly confined to loosely confined characteristics as the fiber core is increased, which manifests as a deterioration in the spatiotemporal uniformity of the beam. It is found that using the gas pressure gradient does not enhance the beam quality in large-core HCFs, while inducing a positive chirp in the pulse to lower the peak power can improve the beam quality. This indicates that the self-focusing effect in the HCFs is the main driving force for the propagation dynamics. It also suggests that pulses at longer wavelengths are more suitable for HCFs with large cores because of the lower critical power of self-focusing, which is justified by the numerical simulations. These results will benefit the generation of energetic few-cycle pulses in large-core HCFs.     

High sensitivity cascaded helical-core fiber SPR sensors

The distributed optical fiber surface plasmon resonance(SPR) sensors have attracted wide attention in biosensing and chemical sensing applications. However, due to the limitation of their sensing structure, it is difficult to adjust their resonant wavelength and sensitivity. Here, novel and flexible cascaded helical-core fiber(HCF) SPR sensors are proposed theoretically and experimentally for distributed sensing applications. It is shown that the resonant wavelength and sensitivity of the sensors can be conveniently controlled by adjusting the twist pitch of the helical core. A high sensitivity of11,180 nm/RIU for refractive-index measurement ranging from 1.355 to 1.365 is realized experimentally when the twist pitch of the helical core is 1.5 mm. It is worth noting that the sensitivity can be further improved by reducing the twist pitch.For example, the sensitivity of the sensor with a twist pitch of 1.4 mm can theoretically exceed 20,000 nm/RIU. This work opens up a new way to implement multi-parameter or distributed measurement, especially to establish sensing networks integrated in a single-core fiber or a multi-core fiber.     

Continuous‐wave optical parametric oscillator based infrared spectroscopy for sensitive molecular gas sensing

Over the past 10 years, with the advent of new crystals designs and a new generation of pump lasers, continuous‐wave (cw) optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) have developed into mature monochromatic light sources. Nowadays, cw OPOs can fulfill a wide variety of criteria for sensitive molecular gas sensing. It can access the mid‐infrared wavelength region, where many molecules have their fundamental rotational‐vibrational transitions, with high power. This high power combined with wide wavelength tuning and narrow linewidth creates excellent conditions for sensitive, high‐resolution spectroscopy. OPOs combined with robust methods, such as photoacoustic spectroscopy and cavity‐enhanced spectroscopy, are well suited for field measurements and remote‐sensing applications. The wide tunability of cw OPOs allows detection of larger molecules with broad absorption band structures, and its fast scanning capabilities allow rapid detection of trace gases, the latter is a demand for life‐science applications. After a short introduction about the physical principle of cw OPOs, with its most recent physical developments, this review focuses on sensitive molecular gas sensing with a variety of spectroscopic applications in atmospheric and life sciences.     

单根Sb掺杂ZnO微米线非平衡电桥式气敏传感器的制作与性能

通过使用化学气相沉积法,成功制备出超长、大尺寸的Sb掺杂ZnO微米线.基于非平衡电桥原理,利用单根Sb掺杂ZnO微米线作为非平衡电桥的一个桥臂,制作出了可以在室温环境下工作的气敏传感器原型器件.结果表明:室温下测得该传感器对20,50,100和200 ppm(1 ppm=10^-6)不同浓度的丙酮及乙醇气体的响应-恢复曲线均呈现为矩形形状,在空气及被测气体中均有稳定的电流值,并随着探测气体浓度的增大,器件的响应值也在逐渐增加.此外,还发现器件对丙酮气体具有更好的选择性,当丙酮气体浓度为200 ppm时,该传感器的响应时间为0.2 s,恢复时间为0.3 s,响应度高达243%.通过与普通电导式气敏传感器对比发现,采用这种非平衡电桥结构传感器可以明显地提高响应度,使响应和恢复时间更快.此外,还研究了器件的气体探测机理.     

Self-compression of 1.8-μm pulses in gas-filled hollow-core fibers

We numerically study the self-compression of the optical pulses centered at 1.8-μm in a hollow-core fiber(HCF) filled with argon. It is found that the pulse can be self-compressed to 2 optical cycles when the input pulse energy is 0.2-m J and the gas pressure is 500-mbar(1 bar = 10~5 Pa). Inducing a proper positive chirp into the input pulse can lead to a shorter temporal duration after self-compression. These results will benefit the generation of energetic few-cycle mid-infrared pulses.     

基于飞秒激光加工的微纳高温光纤振动传感器

报道了一种基于飞秒激光加工的微纳高温振动传感器。通过熔接形成单模光纤-空芯光纤-单模光纤的结构,利用单模光纤和空芯光纤在熔接面形成的菲涅尔反射,构成外腔式法布里-珀罗干涉仪(EFPI)。用飞秒激光烧蚀空芯光纤,形成悬臂梁结构。末端的单模光纤作为质量块,在受到振动时带动悬臂梁振动,使悬臂梁产生微弯,进而使EFPI腔长发生变化。实验结果表明,传感器的工作区域为20~300Hz,在100Hz时,0~3.01g范围内测得加速度分辨率为5×10-4 g,加速度响应灵敏度为129.6nm/g。传感器受温度影响小,腔长的温度交叉响应仅为0.225nm/℃,传感器可耐950℃高温冲击。     

基于量子级联激光器的气体检测系统的发展与应用

量子级联激光器(QCLs)的快速、灵敏和选择性气体检测等独特优点,使其成为2.5～25μm波长范围内中红外气体检测的理想光源。中红外QCLs在气体检测方面的应用已成为世界各国的研究焦点。尤其是在大气环境监测、太空探索和反恐防恐等领域的应用表现出了其他红外检测系统无可比拟的优势。该文重点介绍了基于量子级联激光器的气体检测系统工作原理、应用及发展趋势。     

Industrial and medical applications of fiber Bragg gratings(Invited Paper)

The uses of optical fibers are numerous, and over the past few decades, they have extended from optical fiber communications to a wide variety of sensing applications. In particular, fiber Bragg grating(FBG) sensors inscribed in single-mode optical fibers offer significant advantages over more conventional electrical sensors and have been successfully deployed in many different industries. In this Review, we review the applications of intrinsic FBG pressure and flow sensors in oil and gas and the deployment of FBG sensing networks in railways.The promising prospect of using polymer FBGs in wearable medical devices is also described.     

空芯光波导在光谱气敏检测中的应用

空芯光波导(HWG)用于光谱气体检测中,既可以实现光路的传输,又可以充当气体样品池实现长光程高灵敏度测量,具有体积小,响应时间快、成本低、光路稳定灵活等优点。介绍了基于镀银/碘化银的空芯光波导(Ag/AgI-HWG)、光子带隙空芯光波导(PBG-HWG)和基片集成空芯光波导(iHWG)等类型的空芯光波导,并总结了近年来空芯光波导在光谱气敏检测中的研究及进展,梳理了其应用方式及应用领域。研究表明,空芯光波导替代传统的气体池与傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)、激光吸收光谱和拉曼光谱等不同的光谱技术结合已取得一系列成果,且已经应用于环境监测、呼气诊断和工业过程检测和控制等领域。其中,基于中红外激光吸收光谱的空芯光波导传感器组成相对简单,成本较低,与各类光波导的兼容性和环境适应性较强,发展前景较好。总之,随着激光技术、光波导技术和光谱技术的发展,基于空芯光波导的光谱气体检测正在迅速发展,并逐步由实验室走向现场应用。     

Pulsed laser deposition of tungsten and tungsten oxide thin films with tailored structure at the nano- and mesoscale

Nanostructured thin films synthesized by assembling atoms or clusters present a structure characterized by a modulation at the nanoscale and by a large effective area, which can be exploited for the tailoring of specific structural or electronic properties. These systems are appealing for functional applications, e.g. in sensing and catalysis. We have investigated the deposition of tungsten and tungsten oxide thin films with a wide range of morphologies by exploiting nanosecond pulsed laser deposition (PLD) in an inert background atmosphere (He, Ar and Kr). We show that the non-dimensional ratio of the target-to-substrate distance to the time integrated visible plume length, which depends on the gas mass and pressure and on the substrate position, permits to select morphologies ranging from a compact structure with a density similar to bulk, to a film with an open, low density foam-like mesostructure and a high fraction of voids.     

A review of mixed-potential type zirconia-based gas sensors

A robust and reliable gas sensing device is considered as a convenient and practical solution for gas concentration monitoring that has become a mandatory requirement in different field of applications. For in situ hazardous gases detection, a mixed-potential type gas sensor has been regarded as a promising solid-state gas sensor. For the past three decades, there has been a significant progress in achieving high performance in mixed-potential type sensors. Therefore, this review is focused on reporting the development of mixed-potential type gas sensors with combined yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) as the base solid electrolyte material and various classes of electrode materials for their potential utilization as a high-performance sensing electrode. The underlying sensing mechanism of a mixed-potential type YSZ-based sensor is elaborated here in detail. Transformation in design and configuration of this type of sensor is also covered in this report. In addition, recent progresses on mixed-potential type gas sensors development for detection of several target gases, such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen, and ammonia, are reviewed. Strategies to improve the sensing characteristic, particularly gas sensitivity and selectivity, are also reported. Based on the understanding of the fundamental sensing mechanism and the requirements for high-performance gas sensors, challenges and future trends for this type of gas sensor development are discussed.     

光子晶体光纤温度压力传感器

提出了一种在高温环境下同时测量温度和气压的光子晶体光纤温度压力传感器.在普通单模光纤和光子晶体光纤之间熔接一段空心光纤构成干涉结构.空心光纤段构成非本征法布里-珀罗干涉仪,利用光子晶体光纤的微孔与外界相通,通过气体折射率变化来测量环境中的气压变化;光子晶体光纤段构成本征法布里-珀罗干涉仪,利用热膨胀效应和热光效应来测量环境中的温度.传感器的解调通过自制的白光干涉解调仪实现,实验通过测量腔长得到被测环境的温度和气压.在不同温度和气压环境下,对腔长分别为306μm和1535μm的温度压力光纤传感器进行连续测量.实验结果表明,传感器能够在28~800℃的温度下和0~10 MPa的气压下稳定工作,测量范围内温度灵敏度可达17.4 nm/℃,压力灵敏度随温度增加而降低,在28℃时可达1460.5 nm/MPa.     

基于量子级联激光器的红外光谱技术评述

量子级联激光器是一种新型的红外相干光源。利用量子理论与带隙工程,量子级联激光器可实现3 μm到100 μm波长范围内的任意输出波长。由于大多数气体分子的特征光谱都集中在中红外波段,而中红外量子级联激光器具有功率高、线宽窄、扫描速度快等独特的优点,因此,基于量子级联激光器的红外光谱技术已成为气体检测技术的研究热点。尤其是,近年来室温激光器性能得到不断的完善,输出功率和电光转换效率得到了极大的提高,这在很大程度上推动了红外激光光谱技术的迅速发展。本文根据工作原理,分别介绍了基于直接吸收谱检测、相位调制光谱检测、光声调制光谱检测和法拉第旋光效应光谱检测的量子级联激光器红外光谱检测技术,并对其实现方法和应用情况进行了介绍。     

Distributed high-temperature pressure sensing using air-hole microstructural fibers

We present spatially resolved Rayleigh scattering measurements in different polarization-maintaining (PM) fibers for high-temperature pressure sensing. The pressure-induced birefringence in the fiber cores is interrogated using polarization-resolved frequency-swept interferometry. The pressure responses of a PM photonic crystal fiber and a twin-air-hole PM fiber are investigated for a pressure range of 0 to 13.8 MPa (0-2000 psi) at room temperature and at temperatures as high as 800 °C. The proposed sensing system provides, for the first time to our knowledge, a truly distributed pressure-sensing solution for high-temperature applications.     

Chemical synthesis of high density and long polypyrrole nanowire arrays using alumina membrane and their hydrogen sensing properties

Polypyrrole nanowire arrays were synthesized through chemical polymerization inside the nanochannels of alumina membrane. By optimizing the polymerization time and applying appropriate oxidant:monomer molar ratio with proper concentrations, the pores filling and also the continuity of the obtained polypyrrole inside the nanochannels improved and therefore after dissolution of the host membrane, high density and long nanowire arrays appeared. The obtained nanostructures were characterized by SEM, FTIR and BET techniques. The synthesized nanostructures had high surface areas of 75.66–172.90 m²/g. Since nanowires are attractive for gas sensing applications owing to their high surface areas, their hydrogen gas sensing was investigated at room temperature. The results show that the electrical resistance of the polypyrrole nanostructure arrays reduced upon exposure to hydrogen gas.     

Impact of water vapor on 1.51 μm ammonia absorption features used in trace gas sensing applications

Water-vapor-induced pressure broadening is reported for two NH₃ absorption features at 6612.7 and 6596.4 cm⁻¹ that are exploitable for gas sensing applications at atmospheric pressure. Absorption spectra of different NH₃–H₂O–N₂ mixtures were measured at an elevated temperature of 70°C to enable high H₂O concentrations to be reached. Line parameters were determined from a fitting procedure. The significantly greater values obtained for the H₂O-broadening coefficients of the two lines compared to N₂-broadening leads to cross-sensitivity effects in NH₃ trace gas sensors based on spectroscopic techniques that are sensitive to the width of the analyzed absorption line, as is the case in a simple implementation of wavelength modulation spectroscopy or in photoacoustic spectroscopy. In such a case, cross-sensitivity results in inaccurate gas concentration retrieval when the composition of the diluting gas changes. H₂O represents a potentially significant cross-sensitivity source as its concentration may be subject to large variations, especially in high-temperature applications where concentrations up to a couple of tens of percent may be encountered. In contrast to interference which can be minimized by an appropriate choice of the analyzed transitions, cross-sensitivity affects the entire spectrum of the analyte and is thus unavoidable in the mentioned type of gas sensors.     

光纤法布里-珀罗干涉温度压力传感技术研究进展

光纤法布里-珀罗干涉温度和压力传感器具有灵敏度高、制作简单、成本低、体积小和抗电磁干扰能力强等优点,已被广泛应用于军事和民用领域.在某些环境恶劣,如具有强电磁干扰和腐蚀性,或提供给传感器的安装空间非常有限的特殊工业领域,微型光纤温度和压力传感器发挥着重要的作用,国内外诸多高校、科研院所都在对其进行研究.本文综述了光纤法布里-珀罗干涉仪的基本原理、制备技术、及其压力和温度传感应用的研究进展.详细介绍了湿法化学腐蚀制备法、电弧放电制备法、飞秒激光制备法、聚合物辅助制备法等常见光纤法布里-珀罗腔传感器的制作工艺,分析了不同制作工艺的优缺点;详细介绍了光纤法布里-珀罗干涉仪在温度传感、压力传感和温压一体传感领域的应用;最后对光纤法布里-珀罗干涉温度压力传感器的发展进行了总结和展望.     

外电场极化对纳米氧化锌拉曼活性及气敏性能的影响

采用沉淀法制备了纳米氧化锌粒子,着重对其进行了不同条件(电场强度、极化温度)下的外电场极化处理.以X射线衍射仪和拉曼光谱仪对产物的结构、拉曼位移等进行了表征.测试了氧化锌极化产物在乙醇、丙酮气体中的气敏性能,研究了外电场效应对纳米氧化锌拉曼光谱和气敏性能的影响机制.结果表明,纳米氧化锌样品在外电场中存在着极化电场强度和温度的阈值,当电场强度和温度分别大于9375 V·cm~(-1)和150℃时,纳米氧化锌试片出现明显的漏电现象,极化效应显著降低并消失.在电场强度和温度阈值范围内,外电场极化作用能够导致氧化锌437 cm~(-1)处的拉曼特征峰强度明显降低.随外电场强度和极化温度增加,纳米氧化锌元件在丙酮气体中的灵敏度逐渐升高,在乙醇气体中的灵敏度逐渐降低,即外电场极化可以有效调控纳米氧化锌的气敏选择性.     

基于反射光谱特征辨识的光纤气压与温度集成监测方法

针对飞行器机载环境多参量综合测试需求,研究了一种基于反射光谱特征辨识的光纤布拉格光栅(FBG)气压与温度集成监测方法,给出了基于膜片式结构的双参量传感机理及其理论模型。采用基于耦合模理论的OptiGrating软件,得到不同气压与温度条件下光纤布拉格光栅传感器仿真反射光谱。在此基础上,借助弹塑性和恢复性能优良的平膜片感压机构,构建了膜片式双光纤气压/温度集成监测模型。研究表明,恒温条件下应变传感光纤光栅反射光谱随气压增加而逐渐向短波方向偏移,其中心波长灵敏度约为0.803 0 nm·MPa-1,且反射谱主峰及其旁瓣峰值均随气压变化呈现良好线性关系;当气压恒定而温度变化时,处于仅感温不受力状态的温度传感光纤光栅反射光谱中心波长灵敏度约为9.39 pm·℃-1;当气压与温度交叉变化时,能够实现对变温条件下的微小气压变化实时监测。传感光纤光栅受非均匀应变效应反射光谱存在一定啁啾现象,其反射光谱旁瓣峰值波长随环境温度、气压变化均会发生偏移,具有良好线性关系,且在不同气压下反射光谱对应的同一阶数旁瓣峰值幅度相等。该研究能够为航空航天器系统多物理参量在线综合测试提供有益帮助。