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.     

A flexible fast 3D profilometry based on modulation measurement

This paper proposes a flexible fast profilometry based on modulation measurement. Two orthogonal gratings through a beam splitter are vertically projected on an object surface, and the measured object is placed between the imaging planes of the two gratings. Then the image of the object surface modulated by the orthogonal gratings can be obtained by a CCD camera in the same direction as the grating projection. This image is processed by the operations consisting of performing the Fourier transform, spatial frequency filtering and inverse Fourier transform. Using the modulation distributions of two grating patterns, we can reconstruct the 3D shape of the object. In the measurement process, we only need to capture one fringe pattern, so it is faster than the MMP and remains the advantages of it. In the article, the principle of this method, the setup of the measurement system, some simulations and primary experiment results are given. The simulative and experimental result proves it can restore the 3D shape of the complex object fast and comparatively accurate. Because only one fringe pattern is needed in the testing, our method has a promising extensive application prospect in real-time acquiring and dynamic measurement of 3D data of complex objects.     

Lead-insensitive fiber optic pH sensor and performance under bending

We have designed and tested a lead-insensitive fiber optic pH sensor that is based on the absorption of an indicator dye immobilized in a polymer bead. The fiber optic pH sensor uses two wavelengths; one senses the change in absorption of the indicator dye and the other provides a reference signal. In a view to desired time modulation and the dual wavelength time division multiplexing, we used light emitting diodes for sources, a phototransistor for the detector, and electronics process the detected signal. The sensor has demonstrated fast response, repeatable calibration, reversibility, and stability. This inexpensive device may also be used during bending of the optical fiber for applications in the field.     

Small variations in the sheet resistance of graphene layers with compressive and tensile bending

We synthesized graphene on copper foil by chemical vapor deposition using H₂ and CH₄ gases, followed by transferring the synthesized graphene onto various substrates. Controlling the number of layers was achieved through the variation of transfer times, and the variations of sheet resistance and transmittance with the number of layers were measured. We also investigated the variation of resistance with the radius of curvature of graphene film. As the radius decreased, the resistance increased with tensile bending and decreased with compressive bending. However, the degree of changing resistance is small enough to be applicable into flexible devices. The resistance of monolayer graphene was found to be varied in the range of as small as ±3% by the tensile or compressive bending. It was further found that although the degree of changing resistance gets larger with increasing number of graphene, the tensile bending increased the resistance by less than 20% even in case of four layer graphene.     

Novel bending sensor based on a meniscus shaped beam with LPG

A novel bending sensor based on a long period fiber grating (LPG) is presented. A LPG was glued into a V-shaped groove, which lies on the lower surface of a meniscus shaped beam. It is found that the transmission optical power of the LPG changed linearly with the variation of the bending of the beam. The bending applied on the beam can be measured by detecting the intensity variation of the LPG's resonant dip wavelength. Under a relative large bending measured range from 0 to 7.5 m^?1, the sensitivity of 3.003 dB m^?1 and curvature resolution of 0.001 m^?1 have been achieved for the proposed bending sensor.     

Hetero-core fiber Bragg grating for simultaneous measurement of strain and bending based on cladding mode ratiometric detection

A simple but practical method using multimode-single mode fiber Bragg grating (FBG) for cladding mode based simultaneous measurement of strain and bending is proposed and investigated experimentally. Experimental results show that the intensity ratio between cladding mode and FBG resonance of hetero-core FBG show monotonous changes following with the increase of deflection, by which strain and bending discrimination can be achieved by measuring the wavelength shift of FBG resonance and ratiometrically detecting the intensity changes between cladding modes and FBG resonance.     

A real-time,full-field,and low-cost velocity sensing approach for linear motion using fringe projection techniques

A velocity sensing approach using the fringe projection technique is presented. The moving object is projected with a sinusoidal fringe pattern. A CCD camera located at a different view angle observes the projected fringes on the dynamic object. The long exposure time of the CCD camera makes the fringes blurred by linear motion. The blurred fringes provide additional information to describe the depth displacement, and therefore the velocity vector can be identified. There is no need to take multiple-shot measurements to address the change in 3D positions at a sequence of time. Only one-shot measurement is required. Consequently, there is no need to perform image registration. The full-field approach also makes it possible to simultaneously inspect several objects.     

Theoretical analysis of flexible strain-gauge sensor with nanofibrillar mechanical interlocking

A flexible, and skin-attachable strain gauge sensor based on interconnected nanofibers was recently reported with discernible gauge factor for a flexible and highly sensitive pressure sensor. Here, we present a simple theory that can explain the observed electrical responses by employing the well-established friction law and electrical circuit analysis. The results are in good agreement with the experimental data obtained under physical loads.     

太赫兹偏振测量系统及其应用

麦克斯韦方程中的介质响应特性一般由本构关系中的介电函数ε(ω)和磁导率μ(ω)来描述,对于介质中传播的电磁场,通常存在两个独立的本征传播模式,它们是齐次麦克斯韦方程组的特解,各自具有特定的色散关系和偏振态。如果介质中传播的电磁场为两个本征模分量的线性迭加,其偏振态将会随着传播的过程而改变。常见的现象有各向异性晶体中的双折射、超材料中的偏振调制效应、自然界中手性材料的旋光响应以及外磁场作用下产生的Faraday效应等。本文从测量方法、数据处理、测量精度等方面介绍太赫兹时域偏振检测系统及其发展状况,特别是利用线栅、超材料以及光学手段调制太赫兹电场偏振态的方法。对近几年太赫兹偏振检测系统在分析手性超材料、太赫兹圆二色谱以及Faraday效应等实验中的应用进行了总结和讨论。最后展望了太赫兹偏振检测系统未来进一步的发展空间及应用前景。     

Biomimetic-inspired highly sensitive flexible capacitive pressure sensor with high-aspect-ratio microstructures

The high sensitivity flexible capacitive pressure sensor (FCPS) manufactured in a fast and efficient way has friendly man-machine interaction function. In this paper, a high-sensitivity FCPS is developed by using a two-step template method to reproduce biomimetic microtower polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) from the lotus leaf surface. The capacitive sensor is composed of a PDMS dielectric layer and the Cu nanowire electrodes sandwiching in the middle, with a high sensitivity of ~1.207 kPa⁻¹, a low detection limit of less than 0.02 kPa and a fast response time of 61.6 ms. Particularly, the sensing performance can be kept basically unchanged when bent at a 5 mm radius. Moreover, the FCPS can withstand 4000 repeated tests and maintain stable performance, and the sensitivity is almost the same in the process of loading and unloading, suggesting the high robustness. These results demonstrates the FCPSs have potential applications in electronic wearables, human health monitoring and uneven surface applications.     

Degradation of flexible thin-film solar cells due to a mechanical strain

Many variants of thin film technology are nowadays part of the photovoltaic market. The most popular are amorphous silicon, CIS (Copper Indium Selenide)/CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium Selenide)/CIGSS (Copper Indium Gallium Sulphur Selenide), and CdS/CdTe (Cadmium Sulphide/Cadmium-Telluride) cells. All mentioned types allow potentially for a flexible cell structure. Most emitter contacts are currently based on TCOs (Transparent Conductive Oxides), however, wider approach with alternative carbon nanoforms, silver nanolayers and polymer materials, called TCLs (Transparent Conductive Layers) are also in use. Authors decided to investigate influence of mechanical stresses on physical and electrical behaviour of these layers. Consequently, the aim of work is to determine the level and possible mechanisms of flexible a-Si cell parameters degradation due to a deterioration of transparent contact properties.     

Removing harmonic distortion of measurements of a defocusing three-step phase-shifting digital fringe projection system

Binary defocusing method was adopted in 3D profilometry as it allows real-time measurement and does not need to handle the luminance nonlinearity of a projector. Current patch-based binary fringe patterns are periodic and carry strong harmonic distortion as compared with the ideal sinusoidal fringe patterns, which affects the measuring performance remarkably. In this paper, we propose a framework for generating aperiodic fringe patterns based on optimized patches. The produced fringe patterns can significantly lower the noise floor and suppress the harmonic distortion in the constructed phase map. Accordingly, the achieved depth measuring performance can be significantly improved. Special care is also taken during the optimization of the patches in our framework such that the depth measuring performance is robust to fringe period and defocusing extent.     

Thin film stress measurement by instrumented optical fibre displacement sensor

Residual stress can adversely affect the mechanical, electronic, optical and magnetic properties of thin films. This work describes a simple stress measurement instrument based on the bending beam method together with a sensitive non-contact fibre optical displacement sensor. The fibre optical displacement sensor is interfaced to a computer and a Labview programme enables film stress to be determined from changes in the radius of curvature of the film-substrate system. The stress measurement instrument was tested for two different kinds of thin film, hard amorphous carbon nitride (CN) and soft copper (Cu) films on silicon substrates deposited by RF magnetron sputtering. Residual stress developed in 500 nm thick CN thin films deposited at substrate temperatures in the range 50-550 °C was examined and it was found that stress in CN films decreased from 0.83 to 0.44 GPa compressive with increase of substrate temperature. Residual stress was found to be tensile (121 MPa) for Cu films of thickness 1500 nm deposited at room temperature.     

Lens distortion elimination for improving measurement accuracy of fringe projection profilometry

Fringe projection profilometry (FPP) is a powerful method for three-dimensional (3D) shape measurement. However, the measurement accuracy of the existing FPP is often hindered by the distortion of the lens used in FPP. In this paper, a simple and efficient method is presented to overcome this problem. First, the FPP system is calibrated as a stereovision system. Then, the camera lens distortion is eliminated by correcting the captured images. For the projector lens distortion, distorted fringe patterns are generated according to the lens distortion model. With these distorted fringe patterns, the projector can project undistorted fringe patterns, which means that the projector lens distortion is eliminated. Experimental results show that the proposed method can successfully eliminate the lens distortions of FPP and therefore improves its measurement accuracy.     

基于薄芯光纤模态干涉技术的曲率光纤传感器

提出了一种新的基于薄芯光纤模态干涉技术的光纤曲率传感器。在单模光纤的中间部分插入薄芯光纤用于传感光路,没有插入薄芯光纤的单模光纤用于参考光路,以消除环境对曲率测量的影响。由于插入的薄芯光纤和单模光纤纤芯失配,导致包层的高次模被激发,并与纤芯模在单模光纤内形成干涉。当改变薄芯光纤的曲率时,沿纤芯和包层传播的模态和光纤长度会发生改变,使得干涉谷峰发生平移。将传感光纤的两端固定的平移台上,当调节平移台距离时,薄芯光纤的曲率发生改变,导致干涉谷峰向短波方向平移。通过观察谷峰的平移距离可以实现曲率的传感测量。实验表明,该装置具有低损耗、低成本和高灵敏度的特点。     

Electrical properties of ion gels based on PVDF-HFP applicable as gate stacks for flexible devices

Electrical characteristics of ion gels prepared by loading different amounts of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][TFSI]) in Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) are investigated and compared with those of ion liquid, [EMIM][TFSI] for possible application as a gate stack for flexible electronic devices. Capacitance and impedance as a function of frequency are measured, which can be well accounted for by a simple circuit model identifying the local device components. The operation of a flexible field effect transistor based on graphene and the ion gel as a top gate stack is also demonstrated.     

Multi-band infrared CO2 absorption sensor for sensitive temperature and species measurements in high-temperature gases

A continuous-wave laser absorption diagnostic, based on the infrared CO₂ bands near 4.2 and 2.7 μm, was developed for sensitive temperature and concentration measurements in high-temperature gas systems using fixed-wavelength methods. Transitions in the respective R-branches of both the fundamental υ ₃ band (~2,350 cm^?1) and combination υ ₁ + υ ₃ band (~3,610 cm^?1) were chosen based on absorption line-strength, spectral isolation, and temperature sensitivity. The R(76) line near 2,390.52 cm^?1 was selected for sensitive CO₂ concentration measurements, and a detection limit of <5 ppm was achieved in shock tube kinetics experiments (~1,300 K). A cross-band, two-line thermometry technique was also established utilizing the R(96) line near 2,395.14 cm^?1, paired with the R(28) line near 3,633.08 cm^?1. This combination yields high temperature sensitivity (ΔE” = 3,305 cm^-1) and expanded range compared with previous intra-band CO₂ sensors. Thermometry performance was validated in a shock tube over a range of temperatures (600–1,800 K) important for combustion. Measured temperature accuracy was demonstrated to be better than 1 % over the entire range of conditions, with a standard error of ~0.5 % and µs temporal resolution.     

Electromechanical properties of graphene transparent conducting films for flexible electronics

We report a systematic study of the electromechanical properties of graphene films for flexible transparent conducting electrodes. The flexibility of graphene films, which were grown using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method and transfer process on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates, was investigated using a lab-made inner/outer bending, twisting and stretching test system. The electromechanical properties as a function of the change of bending radius, twisting angle and strain distance were evaluated by measuring the change in resistance. The change in resistance during the inner bending test was less than 8% even when the bending radius was 3 mm. Additionally, the results of the inner bending fatigue test showed a constant resistance throughout 2000 bending cycles. However, in the outer bending test, the resistance increased substantially when the bending radius was smaller than 10 mm. Therefore, we can expect that more cracks form between the grains of graphene during the outer bending test. The twistability and stretchability of the graphene film were also investigated. Both twisting and stretching tests show gradually increasing resistances according to the twisting angle and stretching distance. These results provide useful information regarding the electromechanical properties of graphene transparent conducting films for the development of flexible electronics.     

Stress impedance effects in flexible amorphous FeCoSiB magnetoelastic films

Amorphous FeCoSiB films were deposited on the flexible polyimide substrates (Kapton type (VN)) by DC magnetron sputtering. Stress impedance (SI) effects of the flexible amorphous FeCoSiB magnetoelastic films were investigated in details. The results show that a large stress impedance effect can be observed in the flexible amorphous FeCoSiB magnetoelastic films. And the results also show a bias magnetic field plays an important role in the stress impedance of FeCoSiB films. Applied a bias magnetic field during depositing can induce obvious in-plane anisotropy in the FeCoSiB films, and a larger SI effect can be obtained with a stronger anisotropy in FeCoSiB films. Argon pressure has a significant effect on the SI effect of the FeCoSiB films. The SI of the FeCoSiB films reaches a maximum of 7.6% at argon pressure of 1.5 Pa, which can be explained by the change of residual stress in FeCoSiB films.