Refractive index sensor based on tapered PCF in-line interferometer

A simple and compact refractive index sensor is demonstrated by tapering a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) in-line interferometer. The PCF is spliced between two single-mode fibers and tapered via hydrofluoric acid etching. Its sensitivity in liquid is more than an order of magnitude larger than the untapered one. By optimizing the etching process, we can fabricate more uniformly and thinly tapered PCF interferometers with higher sensitivity in the future.     

Stable single longitudinal mode fiber ring laser based on polarization maintaining erbium doped fiber

A stable single longitudinal mode (SLM) fiber ring laser that incorporates polarization maintaining erbium doped fiber (PM EDF) acting as gain medium and saturable absorber is proposed and demonstrated. Both theoretical deviation and experimental result prove that optical intensity is time invariant when the laser operates in single longitudinal mode, the SLM operation can be approximately verified by optical intensity analysis, which is practical to analyze longitudinal mode in the application of engineering. The linewidth of the fiber ring laser is measured by the delayed self-heterodyne interferometery, and an acousto-optic frequency shifter is employed to shift the lasing frequency and eliminate zero frequency interfere. The SLM operation is verified by the scanning Fabry–Perot interferometer, whereas the lasing frequency drift slowly during a period of 2 h, PM EDF is proved to be effective on suppressing mode hopping and selecting longitudinal mode.     

Refractive index measurement based on core-cladding mode interferometry in endlessly single mode fiber

We propose a simple almost “all-fiber” sensor based on intermodal interference of core and cladding mode in an endlessly single mode photonic crystal fiber. Sensitivity to an external refractive index is studied experimentally and theoretically.     

Refractive index sensor based on an abrupt taper Michelson interferometer in a single-mode fiber

A simple refractive index sensor based on a Michelson interferometer in a single-mode fiber is constructed and demonstrated. The sensor consists of a single symmetrically abrupt taper region in a short piece of single-mode fiber that is terminated by approximately 500 nm thick gold coating. The sensitivity of the new sensor is similar to that of a long-period-grating-type sensor, and its ease of fabrication offers a low-cost alternative to current sensing applications.     

Simultaneous strain and temperature sensor based on the numerical reconstruction of polarization maintaining fiber Bragg gratings

When a short-length fiber Bragg grating is inscribed into a polarization-maintaining fiber, the resonant peaks produced by birefringence can overlap. In this case, the discrimination between strain and temperature effects is only possible by means of polarization control devices, i.e. a linear polarizer and a polarization controller. To avoid this complexity and the measurement errors that it involves, we propose a novel demodulation technique based on the numerical reconstruction of the grating physical parameters. Our technique evaluates the grating parameters from the amplitude spectrum by means of the coupled-mode equations. The convergence tool used to search the solutions is the Nelder–Mead simplex algorithm. The method is tested on uniform and apodized Bragg gratings and a very good accuracy is reported. The method is finally applied to a 2 mm-long uniform polarization-maintaining grating in order to simultaneously measure longitudinal strain and temperature.     

Whispering gallery mode microlasers and refractive index sensing based on single polymer fiber

The realization of whispering gallery mode (WGM) lasing in polymer fibers is hindered by an appropriate method to dissolve the polymer and the gain material. In this work, microfibers fabricated by directly drawing from a dye doped polymer solution are exhibited as high quality microlasers and microsensors. Multi‐mode and even single‐mode lasing is observed from the fiber under optical pumping at room temperature. The linewidth of lasing mode is narrower than 0.09 nm. The lasing mechanism is unambiguously verified by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis and ascribed to WGMs. Diameter‐ and polarization‐dependent lasing characteristics are systematically investigated, showing good agreement with the theoretical calculation. Particularly, application of the fiber laser for refractive index sensing based on resonant shift of lasing mode is demonstrated and the sensitivity up to about 300 nm/RIU is achieved. The promising potential of high quality polymer microfibers as optical sensors and multi‐function components for flexible photonic integrated systems is highly expected.     

Refractive index sensor based on a step index multimode polymer optical fiber with a micro-hole created by a miniature numerical control machine

A compact in-fiber refractive index (RI) sensor based on a step index multimode polymer optical fiber with a micro-hole drilled by a miniature numerical control machine is presented. A good linear relationship between the transmission and RI over a large operating range from 1.335 to 1.475 and a sensitivity of 36 071.43 mV/RIU (RI unit) are found. The relationship between the transmission and the RI of the hole depends on the micro-hole’s diameter and depth. The RI sensor developed in this letter is low-cost, easily fabricated, and capable of continuous measurement.     

Statistical PMD and PDL effects emulator based on polarization maintaining optical fiber segments

Low cost statistical PMD/PDL emulator is presented. The emulator was initially designed as a classical PMD emulator. But PDL measurements of the designed emulator show that it can be also used as statistical PDL emulator. The emulator was constructed by concatenating 15 highly birefringence optical fiber segments and randomly varying the mode coupling between them, by rotating the polarization state between them. The achieved numerical and experimental results show that the designed emulator can mimic the polarization effects (PMD and PDL) of a real modern optical fiber link.     

基于光纤白光干涉测量技术的折射率测量仪

设计了基于光纤白光干涉测量技术的折射率测量仪,用来测量尺寸较小、形状简单的透光材料折射率。与传统折射率检测方法相比较,光纤折射率测量仪具有设备尺寸小、测量精度高、操作简易、便于携带等优点。实验测得某种石英玻璃的折射率值为1.464,与标准值偏差为0.02,误差为1.4%;测得某种普通玻璃的折射率为1.502,与标准值偏差为0.002,误差为0.1%;测得K9玻璃的折射率为1.507,与标准值偏差为0.009,误差为0.6%。     

Curvature sensor based on a pressure-induced birefringence single mode fiber loop mirror

An optical fiber curvature sensor based on a pressure-induced birefringence singlemode fiber loop mirror is presented. The birefringer SMF is made by applying a transverse force against a short length of singlemode fiber. The length of the sensing element for the curvature sensing is about 150 mm. The sensitivity of the curvature measurement experimentally is 0.0263 m⁻¹/pm. And the temperature effect of the proposed sensor is also analyzed. Comparing with the sensor of photonic crystal fiber, it is more convenient and simply.     

Research on the temperature characteristics of optical fiber refractive index

The delay of optical signal is determined by the refractive index and length of optical fiber, and temperature would have an intense influence on the index. To establish the relationship between refractive index and temperature, the temperature characteristics of refractive index was analyzed and the thermo-optical coefficient equation was derived according to the polarization of the induced electric dipole moment in SiO₂ optical fiber. A measuring system based on optical fiber delay was carried out to measure the index within the temperature range of −30 °C to 70 °C and the experimental result was compared with the theoretical result. The final result shows that the relationship between refractive index and temperature is linear in the temperature range of discussion.     

基于少模-无芯-少模光纤结构的高灵敏度折射率传感器

光纤折射率传感器广泛应用于各种复杂环境的监测。设计了一种基于少模光纤（fewmode fiber,FMF）–无芯光纤（coreless fiber,CLF）–FMF结构的高灵敏度折射率传感器。该传感器由2小段FMF之间熔接1段减薄的CLF组成马赫-增德尔干涉仪（Mach–Zehnder interference,MZI）,测量外界折射率,利用光纤布拉格光栅（fiber Bragg grating,FBG）进行温度补偿。MZI干涉光谱中的谐振波谷同时受折射率和温度影响,FBG只受温度的影响。利用MZI和FBG的折射率和温度灵敏度系数构建灵敏度矩阵,实现折射率和温度的同步测量。实验结果表明,MZI折射率灵敏度为345.66 nm/RIU,温度灵敏度为0.013 4 nm/℃;FBG的温度灵敏度为0.010 4 nm/℃。     

基于侧边抛磨传感臂结构的光纤Mach-Zehnder温度传感特性研究

提出并设计了基于侧边抛磨传感臂结构的光纤Mach-Zehnder干涉结构,并对其温度传感特性进行了研究。通过将两支分光比为50∶50的1×2端口光纤耦合器相对熔接,构建光纤Mach-Zehnder干涉结构,采用单模光纤作为干涉结构的参考臂。基于侧面研磨技术在3m长纤芯/包层尺寸为9/125μm的单模光纤上进行抛光,抛光时长为5h,制备了研磨长度为20mm、深度为50μm的光泄露窗作为干涉结构的传感臂,提高传感器的灵敏度。采用宽带光源对Mach-Zehnder干涉结构的透射光谱进行测试,干涉周期为0.66nm。实验中对传感结构进行了温度测试及分析,选取波谷位置为1551.48nm作为测试点。在25～60℃的升温范围内干涉条纹向长波方向移动3.97nm,传感器的温度灵敏度为115.4pm/℃。不同温度下对应波谷的波长位移量与外界温度呈现良好的线性关系,线性度为0.9940,功率漂移小于1.66dB,具有较好的功率稳定性。     

Cleaving of solid single mode polymer optical fiber for strain sensor applications

Single mode polymer optical fibers (smPOFs) can be applied for measuring large strains in numerous applications, such as civil engineering infrastructure assessment and health monitoring. Because of the large light attenuation of solid smPOFs, small lengths of the fiber would need to be coupled to silica optical fibers (SOFs) for practical applications of the smPOF as a strain sensor. This coupling requires smooth cleaving of the smPOFs. In this work, several cleaving techniques previously demonstrated to provide smooth cross-sections of multimode POFs were applied to the smPOF. From these techniques, hot-knife cutting was determined to be a feasible method for cleaving when the blade was heated to 80 °C and the smPOF heated in the range of 30 °C to 40 °C. In addition, focused ion beam machining which produces high-precision cleaves of the solid smPOF cross-section, was performed to set a bench mark and thus evaluate the quality of cleaving from other methods used in this study.     

基于无芯-少模-无芯光纤结构的温度传感特性研究北大核心CSCD

提出了一种基于无芯-少模-无芯光纤结构的温度传感器,对传感器进行了理论分析和实验研究。该传感器将无芯光纤(coreless fiber,CLF)与少模光纤(few-mode fiber,FMF)同轴熔接,构建无芯-少模-无芯的光纤结构,结构两端熔接单模(single mode fiber,SMF)光纤作为输入输出光纤,第1段无芯光纤与单模光纤的模式失配起到激发高阶模的作用,少模光纤中的LP01与LP11两种模式沿少模光纤纤芯传输,在第2段无芯光纤的作用下LP01与LP11两种模式重新耦合回单模光纤,LP01与LP11两种模式发生干涉,形成干涉光谱。当外界温度变化时,两种模式的光程差发生变化,干涉光谱的干涉波谷发生漂移,选取2个不同的干涉波谷作为特征波长,进行实验分析。实验结果表明:波长在1550 nm和1534 nm附近的干涉谷均发生红移,相应的温度灵敏度分别为68 pm/℃和44.5 pm/℃。该传感结构制作简单、灵敏度高,有很好的应用前景。     

Study on the bend characteristics of single mode-multimode-single mode optical fiber structure

In this paper, the bend characteristics of the single mode-multimode-single mode (SMS) fiber structure are experimentally investigated. SMS fiber structure is very sensitive to the bend. The central wavelength shifts to shorter wavelength with the increasing of fiber bend angle. The central wavelength shift changes with the changing of multimode fiber(MMF) bend section length. The shorter bend MMF has higher sensitivity to the bend angle.     

基于包层模谐振的三包层石英特种光纤温度传感特性研究

提出了一种基于包层模谐振的光纤温度传感器. 它是通过将三包层石英特种光纤(TCQSF)两端分别与普通单模光纤(SMF)电弧熔接构成的SMF-TCQSF-SMF结构. 根据耦合模理论, 首先将TCQSF等效为三个同轴波导, 按各波导模场的分布特点标量计算其传输模式的色散曲线, 并深入研究其耦合长度与传输谱线之间的关系; 其次根据光纤的热光效应及热膨胀效应, 分析计算该传感器的温度灵敏度; 最后选取耦合长度为一个拍长时的传感器进行温度传感实验. 实验结果表明, 在35-95 ℃的温度变化范围内, 其温度灵敏度为73.74 pm/℃, 与理论计算结果一致. 因此, 该传感器具有结构简单、制备容易、灵敏度高、包层模激发可控等优点, 可用于工业生产、生物医学等温度传感领域.     

Vernier effect of fiber interferometer based on cascaded PANDA polarization maintaining fiber

This Letter shows the Vernier effect based on two segments of PANDA polarization maintaining fiber(PMF),whose lengths are 28 and 23 cm, respectively. The two PMFs are spliced together, and the angle between the fast axes is set to 45°. This cascaded PMF is inserted in a Sagnac loop to form an interferometer that can generate the Vernier effect. The spectrum consists of finesse fringe and envelope and realizes simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature. The envelope can provide strain and temperature sensitivities of 58.0 pm/με and -1.05 nm/℃. The finesse fringe provides sensitivities of 5.9 pm/με and -1.36 nm/℃.     

Modeling of a step index segmented core single mode optical fiber as a dispersion compensator

A segmented core central step index dispersion compensating fiber (DCF) has been modeled by using spot size optimization technique. We have designed and optimized the DCF by suitably adjusting different fiber parameters, i.e. inner core radius (a), central relative refractive index difference (Δ), normalized outer core position (p), width (b) and height (h) at different values of given Petermann-II spot sizes . The studies on the propagation behavior as well as bendloss and other losses of the DCF have been presented here. The proposed design of the DCF can possess improved bend performances over single core DCFs. At the same time higher negative dispersion coefficient in the single mode region as well as considerably high value of figure of merit (FOM) for optimized fiber parameters can be achieved for smaller spot sizes of the DCF. Further, inclusion of length independent splice loss modified this conventional FOM to a slightly lesser value of modified FOM.     

基于单端探测温度和折射率的MZI光纤传感器

提出并演示了一种基于单端探测的光纤传感器,可同时测量温度和折射率。微结构光纤探头由两个玻璃光纤微球拼接在一起,并在该探头的末端利用真空电子束蒸镀一层铝膜以增加反射,从而形成微球结构的马赫-曾德尔型光纤传感头。实验结果表明,该器件的温度灵敏度和折射率可分别达到50.77 pm/℃和-21.94 nm/RIU。这项工作提出了一种低成本、高分辨率的基于光纤方法实现的多功能传感应用。单端探测的马赫曾德尔型光纤传感器小尺寸的优势可应用到小体积气体的测量,而它的全二氧化硅设计提供了高温或化学严酷环境的兼容性。