All-fiber refractometer based on core mismatch structure

We demonstrate a novel all-fiber refractometer which is a multimode-single mode-multimode (MM-SM-MM) fiber structure formed by splicing a section of uncoated single mode fiber (SMF) with two short sections of multimode fibers (MMFs). Owing to the core mismatch at the splicing points of the SMF with two sections of MMFs, part of the guided light propagates in the cladding of the SMF, which makes the SMF sensitive to the external refractive index (RI). RI sensing is achieved by measuring the wavelength shift of the interference pattern of the cladding mode and the core mode of the SMF. A RI sensor with an average sensitivity of 412 nm/RUI (refractive index unit) for a RI range from 1.333 to 1.400 is presented.     

Reflective fiber-optic refractometer based on a thin-core fiber tailored Bragg grating reflection

A novel reflective refractometer based on a thin-core fiber (TCF) sandwiched between a leading single-mode fiber (SMF) and a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) imprinted SMF stub was demonstrated. The reflection from the fiber stub occurs in two well-defined wavelength bands, corresponding to the Bragg core mode and cladding modes. The TCF section functions as a tailorable bridge between the FBG core mode reflection and the surrounding refractive index (SRI). Linear response with enhanced sensitivity of 133.26 dB/refractive index unit for temperature-immune SRI measurement within the biologically desirable sensing range of 1.33-1.41 has been achieved via cost-effective power detection.     

Cascaded tilted fiber Bragg grating for enhanced refractive index sensing

We proposed and experimentally demonstrated a cascaded tilted fiber Bragg grating(TFBG) for enhanced refractive index sensing. The TFBG is UV-inscribed in series in ordinary single-mode fiber(SMF) and reduced-diameter SMF with the same tilt angle, and then excites two sets of superposed spectral combs of cladding modes. The cascaded TFBG with total length of 18 mm has a much wider wavelength range over 100 nm and narrower wavelength separation than that of a TFBG only in the SMF, enabling an enlarged range and a higher accuracy of refractive index measurement. The fabricated TFBG with the merits of enhanced sensing capability and temperature self-calibration presents great potentials in the biochemical sensing applications.     

Acoustic-induced switching of the reflection wavelength in a fiber Bragg grating

Coupling between copropagating core and cladding modes was implemented by acoustic generation of lateral vibration of an etched fiber. When these coupling processes were combined with counterpropagating coupling of a core mode and a cladding mode and the Bragg reflection of a fiber grating, switching of reflection wavelength between the Bragg wavelength and cladding-mode coupling wavelengths was achieved. We report the implementation of such acoustically induced switching behaviors and explain their operation principles. The implemented results can be used for wavelength-division multiplexed add-drop filtering.     

Ultrawidely tunable single-mode fiber acousto-optic filter

A single-mode fiber (SMF) acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) with a tuning range of more than 300 nm is demonstrated. The SMF used in the experiment has a ring of symmetric holes within the cladding, which causes a larger mode-index difference between the first and the second higher-order antisymmetric modes than those of a conventional SMF. As a result, the difference in beatlengths between the core mode and the higher-order modes is highly increased, which makes it possible for the SMF AOTF to exhibit a single resonance peak in the transmission spectrum over the wavelength range of 1.3-1.6 μm for given acoustic frequencies of 3.1-3.8 MHz.     

Relative humidity sensor based on SMS fiber structure with polyvinyl alcohol coating

A novel relative humidity (RH) sensor based on single-mode–multimode–single-mode (SMS) fiber structure is presented. The sensors are created through coating a thin layer of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) on the multimode fiber deleted the cladding trough HF solution cauterization as the sensitive cladding film, whose refractive index varies as a function of humidity level. Due to the SMS fiber structure's sensitivity to ambient refractive index, the transmission spectra of SMS fiber structure coated PVA film are modified under exposure to different ambient humidity levels ranging from 30% to 80% RH. The related numerical simulations of transmission spectra of SMS fiber structure with different surrounding refractive index are also proposed. The sensitive of the RH measurement of 0.09 nm/% RH in the range from 30% to 80% RH is experimentally achieved. Meanwhile the intensity of wavelength at 1543 nm is decreasing as the humidity increasing. The experimental results obtained are consistent with the conclusion obtained by numerical simulating.     

Refractive index and temperature sensing characteristics of an optical fiber sensor based on a tapered single mode fiber/polarization maintaining fiber

An evanescent field optical fiber sensor based on a short section of polarization maintaining fiber spliced with a tapered single mode fiber is proposed and experimentally investigated. We mainly focus on the refractive index(RI) and temperature sensing characteristics of this compact device. The transmission spectrum of the resonance wavelength,induced by the interference between the excited low order cladding modes and core modes,shows the quadratic function relationships with RI and linear relationships with temperature. Thus,the proposal of this simple-to-fabricate,compact,and low cost sensor shows its possible potential in the sensitive detection field.     

Single-mode fiber laser based on core-cladding mode conversion

A single-mode fiber laser based on an intracavity core-cladding mode conversion is demonstrated. The fiber laser consists of an Er-doped active fiber and two fiber Bragg gratings. One Bragg grating is a core-cladding mode converter, and the other Bragg grating is a narrowband high reflector that selects the lasing wavelength. Coupling a single core mode and a single cladding mode by the grating mode converter, the laser operates as a hybrid single-mode laser. This approach for designing a laser cavity provides a much larger mode area than conventional large-mode-area step-index fibers.     

Novel B/Ge codoped photosensitive fiber and dispersion compensation in an 8×10 Gbit/s DWDM system

We used the Modified Chemical Vapor Deposition (MCVD) method to fabricate a B/Ge codoped fiber with a depressed cladding in which boron and germanium were also doped, the depressed cladding was photosensitive, which can greatly suppress the cladding mode coupling. The transmission spectrum of written grating in this fiber made by the phase mask method verified its larger photosensitivity and great suppression of the cladding mode coupling. We then analyzed the Bragg wavelength tuning theory in the phase mask method in detail which gave us a more exact equation. The ultra-violet (UV) exposure system was modified, and eight cascaded Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) centered at different wavelengths were written in this photosensitive fiber successfully using a 248 nm KrF excimer laser and one piece of 1067 nm phase mask. Each channel spacing was 100 GH according to the Densed Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) standards of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T). At the same time, we also wrote in chirp in each grating by tilting the phase mask to realize dispersion compensation. The dispersion in 44 km SMF was successfully compensated by the cascaded chirped gratings in the eight channel WDM system with each channel being 10 Gbit/s.     

基于长周期光纤光栅的磁场传感方案的实现

长周期光纤光栅是近几年出现的一种新型光纤器件。其耦合机理是前向传输的纤芯基模与前向传输的各阶包层模式之间的耦合 ,这与光纤布喇格光栅明显不同。它对温度、应力、弯曲及外部折射率的变化具有相当高的灵敏度 ,是一种理想的光纤型敏感结构。提出利用长周期光纤光栅谐振波长的移动或移动变化量进行磁场强度的测量 ,并进行了理论推导、仿真实验及分析研究。得出了谐振波长变化量与外界磁场强度的关系模型。分析了设计中应该考虑的因素。     

Influence of uniaxial crystal material cladding on reflectivity and dispersion of uniform fiber Bragg grating

The fiber Bragg grating with cladding made of uniaxial crystal material whose optical axis is parallel to the axis of fiber Bragg grating proposed in the paper published in 2003 was investigated again and an error was corrected in the calculation, its effective index, reflectivity and dispersion were examined using coupled-mode theory and numeric solution. The calculated results indicate that no low frequency cutoff phenomenon exists in the HE₁₁ mode, more power is transmitted by the core of the fiber with cladding made of isotropic material, the reflectivity of the fiber Bragg grating with cladding made of uniaxial crystal material is much higher than that with cladding made of isotropic material, the parameter K_cl, i.e., the ratio of the extraordinary to the ordinary ray refractive index, has a stronger impact on the reflectivity, Bragg wavelength and the dispersion of this kind of fiber Bragg grating when it varied from 1.00 to 1.01 than in other regions. This means that the characteristics of the fiber Bragg grating with uniaxial crystal cladding can be changed through adjusting K_cl while keeping its length, periodicity and the other parameters as constants.     

Fiber laser with combined feedback of core and cladding modes assisted by an intracavity long-period grating

We present a fiber laser made in a single piece of conventional doped-core fiber that operates by combined feedback of the fundamental core mode LP((0,1)) and the high-order cladding mode LP((0,10)). The laser is an all-fiber structure that uses two fiber Bragg gratings and a long-period grating to select the modes circulating in the cavity; the laser emits at the coupling wavelength between the core mode LP((0,1)) and the counterpropagating cladding mode LP((0,10)) in the Bragg gratings. This work demonstrates the feasibility of high-order mode fiber lasers assisted by long-period gratings.     

基于Michelson干涉仪的高灵敏度光纤高温探针传感器

提出了一种简单的高灵敏度的光纤高温探针传感器, 该传感器由一小段多模光纤和一端镀有银膜的单模光纤熔接而成. 由于单模光纤和多模光纤的纤芯直径不同, 当光波从多模光纤传输至多模光纤和单模光纤的熔接端面时, 一部分纤芯光耦合进包层, 因为单模光纤纤芯的折射率和包层的折射率不同, 不同模式的光经过银膜反射后在多模光纤内重新耦合进单模光纤, 最终形成干涉.随着外界温度的升高, 干涉谱峰值会向长波方向漂移. 实验结果证明这种传感器在470 ℃–600 ℃范围内具有很好的稳定性, 线性度达99.7%, 灵敏度为120 pm/℃, 可作为远距离反射型探针温度传感器, 在石油探测和油气田开发等领域有着广泛的应用前景. 关键词： 光纤传感 温度测量 Michelson干涉     

Simultaneous Measurement of Temperature and Refractive Index of Liquid Using Cladding-Etched Double-Core Fiber Bragg Grating

Abstract

This study proposed and demonstrated a fiber Bragg grating sensor for simultaneous detection of the temperature and refractive index of a liquid. The fiber Bragg grating is composed of three index layers: an inner core, an outer core, and a cladding. The cladding was etched for evanescent wave coupling between the outer core mode and an external liquid. The Bragg wavelength of the inner core mode is used for obtaining temperature data, while the refractive index for the liquid was determined by using the difference between the Bragg wavelength of the inner core mode and that of outer core mode.     

Temperature-calibrated fiber-optic refractometer based on acompact FBG-SMS structure

A novel all-fiber temperature-calibrated refractometer based on a compact fiber Bragg grating(FBG) single-multi-single(SMS)structure is proposed and experimentally demonstrated.The sensor head is composed of a FBG combined with a SMS structure,in which the middle multimode fiber(MMF)section is etched by a time-controlled hydrofluoric.The transmission dip of SMS is extremely sensitive to ambient refractive index(RI)variation,whereas the upstream FBG provides the necessary temperature information for RI calibration.All aforementioned functions are performed via a compact FBG-SMS structure not longer than 25 mm.The proposed sensing device provides a linear RI sensitivity over water or waterbased solutions(RI values near 1.33 at optical wavelengths for most biological and many environmental applications),and has temperature-calibration capability.Hence,the said refractometer is a good candidate for sensing in chemical and biological applications.     

Temperature-independent bending sensor with tilted fiber Bragg grating interacting with multimode fiber

A new type fiber bending sensor based on a tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) interacting with a multimode fiber (MMF) is presented. The sensing head is formed by insertion of a small section of MMF between a single-mode fiber (SMF) and the TFBG. The average reflective power in the cladding modes decreases with the increase of curvature. The measurement range of the curvature from 0 to 2.5 m⁻¹ with a measurement sensitivity of −802.4 nW/m⁻¹ is achieved. The proposed sensor is also proved as temperature-independent from the experimental investigation.     

长周期光纤光栅模式与耦合的研究

长周期光纤光栅是在光纤纤芯中沿轴向形成折射率周期性调制的带阻型光纤器件。与光纤布拉格光栅不同，它表现为前向传播的纤芯基模与同向传播的各阶次包层模式在特定波长的耦合。研究了纤芯基模、包层模式（HE1t/EH1t）及其有效折射率随波长的变化，研究了纤芯基模与包层模式（HE1t/EH1t）的耦合系数。研究表明，纤芯基模与一阶低次包层模式的有效折射率随波长增大而减小，纤芯基模与HE1t产生的耦合系数远大于与EH1t的耦合系数，并且包层模式次数较低时，耦合系数随次数的升高而增加。这与以前的研究结果有所不同。     

基于光纤侧边抛磨技术的醋酸浓度光纤传感器

演示了两种利用光纤侧边抛磨技术制备的用于醋酸浓度检测的光纤传感器.其中一种光纤传感器采用轮式抛磨法对光纤光栅的光栅区包层进行侧边抛磨加工而成,将醋酸溶液覆盖于光纤光栅的抛磨区,利用侧边抛磨光纤光栅反射峰波长的变化对醋酸浓度进行测量;另一种光纤传感器采用轮式抛磨法对普通单模光纤包层进行侧边抛磨加工而成,将醋酸溶液覆盖于光纤抛磨区,利用抛磨光纤插入损耗的变化对醋酸浓度进行测量.两种光纤传感器的实验都表明:光纤包层抛磨表面与纤芯的距离越小,测量分辨率越高.剩余包层厚度为 0 μm 的侧边抛磨光纤光栅传感器测量醋酸溶液浓度分辨率为6.67%;剩余包层厚度为O.5μm 的侧边抛磨光纤传感器测量醋酸溶液浓度分辨率为0.55%.     

基于飞秒激光直写光纤光栅的掺镱光纤激光器

利用飞秒激光微加工技术,可以在光纤纤芯内直写出布拉格光栅,它与传统的光纤光栅制作方法相比,具有耗时短、无需光敏光纤、周期可任意设定、光栅稳定性高等优点。采用800 nm钛宝石飞秒激光器,在Hi1060光纤内写入一支8 mm长的布拉格光栅,光纤光栅的周期为2.9 μm,这是中心波长为1 042 nm的八阶光纤布拉格光栅。将所得光栅与一段有源的双包层光纤熔接,作为激光输出镜,利用975 nm的LD光纤模块作为泵浦源,采用端泵浦技术构成双包层光纤激光器。双包层光纤采用Nufern公司镱(Yb3+)离子掺杂双包层光纤,光纤长度3 m。所得激光器的输出功率为71.1 W,中心波长1 042 nm,带宽约为0.8 nm。     

基于飞秒激光直写光纤光栅的掺镱光纤激光器

 利用飞秒激光微加工技术,可以在光纤纤芯内直写出布拉格光栅,它与传统的光纤光栅制作方法相比,具有耗时短、无需光敏光纤、周期可任意设定、光栅稳定性高等优点。采用800 nm钛宝石飞秒激光器,在Hi1060光纤内写入一支8 mm长的布拉格光栅,光纤光栅的周期为2.9 μm,这是中心波长为1 042 nm的八阶光纤布拉格光栅。将所得光栅与一段有源的双包层光纤熔接,作为激光输出镜,利用975 nm的LD光纤模块作为泵浦源,采用端泵浦技术构成双包层光纤激光器。双包层光纤采用Nufern公司镱(Yb³⁺)离子掺杂双包层光纤,光纤长度3 m。所得激光器的输出功率为71.1 W,中心波长1 042 nm,带宽约为0.8 nm。