Influence of oxygen on the guiding properties of V2O5-clad glass waveguide

An optical waveguide clad with V2O5 is proposed as a new type of oxygen sensor in ambient air. The presence of gas changes the light transmission (TE0-polarized mode) through the guide, due to the change in refractive index of the cladding which changes the effective index of the guide. O2 gas concentration is varied from a few (≈10) ppm to several percent (4%). Sensors exhibit the same sensitivity at a slightly elevated temperature. The increase in thickness of the cladding causes a reduction in sensitivity and increase in linearity. It is observed that the sensor exhibits the same performance using the static or incremental mode. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.