Widely tunable long-period fiber grating with nm-thick higher refractive index film overlay

By introducing a four-layer step-index waveguide modeling, the characteristics of long-period fiber grating (LPFG) with an nm-thick film overlay, which has higher refractive index than that of fiber cladding are investigated in detail. The influence of both the overlay thickness and refractive index on the tuning ability of LPFG is analyzed. The numerical results demonstrate that spectral response of LPFG is divided into three distinct regions as the overlay deposition increases and the shift of resonant wavelength is drastic in some special thickness range. In conjunction with higher-order cladding mode coupling and fiber cladding etching, the sensitivity of LPFG to the overlay refractive index is enhanced significantly and over 120 nm resonant wavelength tunable range is achieved.     

Bend-insensitive long-period fiber grating sensors

A novel bend-insensitive long-period fiber grating (LPFG) sensor written using focused CO₂ laser pulses is demonstrated, for the first time, to our knowledge. It is found that the central wavelength shift of such a LPFG is only −0.018 nm even for a curvature of 1.1 m⁻¹ at the most bend-insensitive position of the LPFG. Experimental results show that the bend sensitivity of the central wavelength of the LPFG has a periodic distribution along its circular directions. Such a bend-insensitive sensor could be used to solve the problem of cross-sensitivity between bend and other measurands, such as temperature, strain or refractive index, which is an unsolved problem for LPFG sensors in practice. In addition, the bend sensitivity of the LPFG can be adjusted by selecting its circular positions.     

A cheap and practical FBG temperature sensor utilizing a long-period grating in a photonic crystal fiber

A whole temperature sensor in one package utilizing a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) made in a conventional single-mode fiber and which uses a long-period grating (LPG) made in a photonic crystal fiber is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The function of the interrogation is that the wavelength change of the FBG with environmental temperature is transferred to the intensity of the output via the LPG. Utilizing the temperature-insensitivity of the LPG in the PCF, the interrogation is stable and enables a cheap and practical temperature measurement system with a wide dynamic range.     

Refractive index measurement with long-period gratings arc-induced in pure-silica-core fibres

We have investigated the sensitivity of arc-induced long-period gratings to changes of ambient refractive index. Two pure-silica-core fibres with different cladding diameters and a standard fibre were used in this study. For a 6 × 10⁻³ change of the refractive index, a 240 pm shift of the resonant wavelength was achieved with long-period gratings written in the 125 μm cladding diameter pure-silica-core fibre.     

Synthesis of long-period fiber gratings with a Lagrange multiplier optimization method

Based on the Lagrange multiplier optimization (LMO) method, a new synthesis approach for designing complex long-period fiber grating (LPG) filters is developed and demonstrated. The proposed synthesis method is a simple and direct approach. It was used to efficiently search for optimal solutions and constrain various parameters of the designed LPG filters according to practical requirements. The inverse scattering algorithm is a good tool for designing FBG filters; as well as for designing transmission-type fiber grating filters like LPGs. Compared to the results of the discrete layer-peeling (DLP) inverse scattering algorithm for LPGs, the synthesized LPGs, using the LMO approach, are more flexible and workable for the constraint conditions can be easily set in the user-defined cost functional, such as the limitation on the maximum value of the refractive index modulation and the parameters of the initial guess in LMO algorithm. Linear transmission LPG filters and EDFA gain flattening filters are synthesized and analyzed systematically by using the proposed method with different parameters. Moreover, as a variation-based method, we find that the convergence and the synthesized results of the LMO method are strongly dependent on the initial guess parameters.     

Temperature sensitivity of long period fiber grating in SMF-28 fiber

In this paper we have presented long period fiber grating (LPFG) as temperature sensor. Temperature based sensors have found a number of applications in commercial and industrial fields. In LPFG based temperature sensors, they respond to shift in various peak resonant wavelengths corresponding to various attenuation bands of the transmission spectrum. Temperature effect on the various attenuation bands of a LPFG have been investigated to create a highly sensitive measurement device. The temperature sensitivities of various attenuation bands of a LPFG over the wavelength region of 1.1–1.7 μm, for a grating period of 280 μm period, are obtained by monitoring the wavelength shift of each peak resonant wavelength with temperature increment of 20 °C, ranging from 0 °C to 100 °C.     

Simultaneous strain and temperature measurement using a highly birefringence fiber loop mirror and a long-period grating written in a photonic crystal fiber

We present a new design for simultaneous strain and temperature measurement using a high-birefringence fiber loop mirror (HiBi-FLM) concatenated with a temperature-insensitive long-period grating (LPG) written in a photonic crystal fiber (PCF). The FLM acts as a sensor head, while the LPG in PCF serves as a filter to convert wavelength variation to optical power change. By measuring the wavelength variation and the power difference of two near peaks in the spectral response of this configuration, simultaneous strain and temperature measurement is obtained.     

Determination of thermo-optic coefficient in liquids with fiber Bragg grating refractometer

In this work the thermo-optic coefficients of hydrocarbon samples have been determined using etched fiber Bragg grating (FBG), where the effective refractive index (RI) of the fundamental mode becomes dependent on the surrounding refractive index. The technique is based on the cross-sensitivity that the device presents to temperature and refractive index. The thermal response of FBG is characterized for samples with different refractive indices. The inherent temperature effects are distinguished from the RI, due to induced effects changes in the refractive index caused by the thermo-optic effect. For comparison purposes, literature data has been used to work with such parameters for water. The parameter obtained for ethanol (−3.99 ± 0.20) × 10⁻⁴ °C⁻¹ at 1550 nm is in close proximity with the literature data, −4 × 10⁻⁴ °C⁻¹, in the visible range.     

Numerical analysis of plasmon polarition refractive index fiber sensors with hollow core and a long period grating

The main principle of this design is based on the efficient energy transfer between the waveguide mode (WM) and the co-directional SPP provided by a properly designed fiber long period grating (LPG). This LPG is imprinted into a waveguide fiber layer of a specially designed hollow core optical fiber. The simulations are based on the finite element method (FEM) algorithm in electromagnetics and coupled mode theory for gratings. Compared to the previous proposed structure using a fiber Bragg grating (FBG), this novel kind of sensor can greatly enhance the refractive index sensitivity, e.g., from 5.93 nm/RIU (with FBG) to 817 nm/RIU (with LPG) at the sensing refractive index of 1.40. The other advantage is that the working conditions can be performed for the well-developed telecom wavelength windows 1500-1600 nm.     

Dual-resonance long-period grating in fiber loop mirror structure for liquid refractive index measurement

An interferometric structure based on a Dual-Resonance Long-Period Grating (DRLPG) within a Fiber Loop Mirror (FLM) is presented in this paper. Its purpose is to measure the refractive index (RI) of liquid analytes. The grating is the RI sensing probe, while the FLM serves as a band-pass filter. Due to the high extinction ratio of the FLM, amplitude measurements can be obtained, allowing implementation of the differential interrogation method to establish the sensitivity of the device. The use of a polarization controller makes it possible to fine-tune the interferometric peaks with respect to the two notches of the DRLPG. Precisely aligned configuration produces a maximum sensitivity of 3871.5?dB/RIU within the RI range of 1.3333 up to 1.3419 with linear sensor response.     

Simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature with a long-period fiber grating inscribed Sagnac interferometer

A Sagnac interferometer with a long-period fiber grating (LPG) inscribed in the polarization-maintaining fiber (PMF) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated for simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature. Due to the different responses of the LPG and the Sagnac interferometer to strain and temperature, simultaneous measurement can be achieved by monitoring the wavelength shifts and the intensity changes of a resonance dip of the sensor setup. The experimental results show that the achieved sensitivities to strain and temperature are 6.4 × 10^− 3 dB/με and 0.65 nm/°C, respectively.     

Torsion sensing with a fiber ring laser incorporating a pair of rotary long-period fiber gratings

We experimentally demonstrate a fiber ring laser for high-resolution torsion measurement, where the laser cavity consists of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer formed with a pair of long-period fiber gratings written in a twisted single-mode fiber by a CO₂ laser. The emitting wavelength of the laser provides a measure of the rate of the torsion applied to the grating pair, while the direction of the wavelength shift indicates the sense of the applied torsion. The narrow linewidth and the large side-mode suppression ratio of the laser can provide a much more precise measurement of torsion, compared with passive fiber-optic torsion sensors. The torsion sensitivity achieved is 0.084 nm/(rad/m) in the torsion range ± 100 rad/m, which corresponds to a torsion resolution of 0.12 rad/m, assuming a wavelength resolution of 10 pm for a typical optical spectrum analyzer. The ultimate resolution of the sensor is limited by the linewidth of the laser and could be an order of magnitude higher.     

Characterization of fiber Bragg grating for maximum reflectivity based on modulation depth of refractive index

This study proposed the modeling of fiber Bragg grating as a sensor for the optimum reflectivity with minimum discontinuities at the end of center wavelength. Recent advancement in optical sensor technology, make it necessary to generate the optimum results with minimum error. In this analysis, dependence of grating output spectra on various parameters has been studied for minimum bandwidth, side lobes and maximum reflectivity. In previous studies effect of length and other parameters has been studied. In this paper author has included the effect of modulation depth also. Study shows that grating length and modulation depth of refractive index of core are very critical factors which significantly alter the grating characteristics. Here low absorption third window of optical communication is used for the sake of low attenuation. All the simulation has done using GratingMOd software using transfer matrix method.     

长周期光纤光栅的折射率敏感特性

利用光波导的耦合模理论分析了长周期光纤光栅(LPFG)的折射率传感特性,给出了LPFG 的谐振波长相对于环境折射率变化时的漂移量解析表达式.对 LPFG 的折射率传感特性进行了数值模拟.结果表明:在光栅周期不变的情况下,当包层折射率小于且接近外界环境折射率时,波长的漂移量增大,且对应的模次越高、包层半径越小、包层折射率越小,波长漂移量越大,即 LPFG 对应于外界折射率传感灵敏度得到显著提高;当外界环境折射率大于包层折射率时,光栅的谐振波长将近似不变.     

Optimization of long-period grating inscribed in large mode area photonic crystal fiber for design of bandstop filter

By inscribing long period grating (LPG) in a photonic crystal fiber (PCF), optical filters for communication wavelengths can be fabricated. In this paper, by utilizing coupled-mode theory and enhanced improved vectorial effective index method, a design of bandstop filter based on optimal LPG parameters is presented where the optimized full-width half-maximum (FWHM), the number (N) and total length of gratings of LPGs (L) are determined. As a result, by the determination of optimized LPG parameters with an optimum length of L_opt=6.5 mm and optimum number of grating N_opt=27 inscribed in the PCF, a bandstop optical filter with FWHM=1 nm is designed.     

光纤Bragg光栅应力传感中温度交叉敏感问题研究

针对光纤Bragg光栅应力传感中温度交叉敏感的问题,设计了一种有效的无源温度补偿方法和补偿结构。通过理论模拟,分析了M值不同时补偿效果曲线的变化,从中得到了补偿效果最好时的M值;得出了不同预应变情况下的温度特性曲线,从中找出了温度特性被完全补偿时的预应变的值;分析了温度补偿中出现过补偿和欠补偿现象的原因。通过该方法,有效地解决了光纤Bragg光栅传感中的温度交叉敏感问题。温度补偿后可以满足对光纤光栅温度稳定性要求较高的光纤传感、通信等领域的需要。     

长周期光纤光栅折射率特性仿真的新方法

基于长周期光纤光栅的模式耦合机理,提出一种快速模拟长周期光纤光栅折射率特性的方法。该方法在计算包层模式的有效折射率时分开计算,在环境折射率小于包层折射率时采用二分法和分步搜索法结合计算包层模式的有效折射率,在环境折射率大于包层折射率时采用Nelder-Mead加分步搜索法求解包层模式的有效折射率。在应用谐振波长的决定式求解与环境折射率的匹配的谐振波长时,采用变区间应用二分法求解而不是传统的逐步搜索法求解谐振波长。数值结果与实验结果做了对比,两者基本一致。实践证明,该方法方便快捷,比一般的方法速度提高7倍以上。     

耐高温光纤Bragg光栅的响应特性研究

以耐高温光纤光栅和普通的光纤光栅为实验研究对象,研究了其高温特性。普通的FBG，当温度超过300℃以上，光纤光栅已变黑变脆，虽然有传感特性，但已不能在实际中应用；通过对耐高温光栅裸栅进行300℃以上的高温实验，发现耐高温FBG处于20℃～350℃之间时反射波长与温度之间有着良好的线性关系，且光栅性能良好，没有出现被碳化现象，灵敏度为0.01nm/MPa；随着温度进一步升高，FBG反射波长与温度开始呈现非线性关系。实验结果表明，耐高温光栅适合于高温油气井下应用。     

An optimized strain demodulation method based on dynamic double matched fiber Bragg grating filtering

An optimized strain demodulation method based on dynamic double matched fiber Bragg grating (FBG) filtering driven by a piezoelectric transducer (PZT) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Using an optimized triangular waveform to drive PZT, the nonlinear effect is eliminated, and extraction and processing of the peak signals are more convenient. Furthermore, taking advantage of double matched-FBGs and strain amplification structure to demodulate the Bragg wavelength, the wavelength scanning range can be extended to 6.3 nm, so that a large-scale and high-precision strain measurement can be achieved. The experimental results show that in the strain range of 0-3800με, the linearity of the relationship between strain and scanning time-difference is greater than 99.8%, and the stability of repeated measurements is up to 99.5%. This demodulation method can be widely applied in the FBG measurement system.