Abliz Yimit

Thin film composite optical waveguides for sensor applications: a review

We review the design and fabrication of thin-film composite optical waveguides (OWG) with high refractive index for sensor applications. A highly sensitive optical sensor device has been developed on the basis of thin-film, composite OWG. The thin-film OWG was deposited onto the surface of a potassium-ion-exchanged (K(+)) glass OWG by sputtering or spin coating (5-9mm wide, and with tapers at both ends). By allowing an adiabatic transition of the guided light from the secondary OWG to the thin-film OWG, the electric field of the evanescent wave at the thin film was enhanced. The attenuation of the guided light in the thin film layer was small, and the guided light intensity changed sensitively with the refractive index of the cladding layer. Our experimental results demonstrate that thin-film, composite OWG gas sensors or immunosensors are much more sensitive than sensors based on other technologies.

Composite optical waveguide composed of a tapered film of bromothymol blue evaporated onto a potassium ion-exchanged waveguide and its application as a guided wave absorption-based ammonia-gas sensor.

For what is the first time to our knowledge, we have successfully evaporated a tapered film of bromothymol blue (BTB) onto a potassium ion-exchanged (PIE) waveguide to form a composite optical waveguide (COWG) for trace-ammonia detection. The BTB film has a high refractive index (1.69) and a smooth surface and is transparent to a 633-nm laser beam in air. In the COWG structure, the BTB film serves as a single-mode waveguide, and adiabatic transition of the TE(0) mode was realized between the BTB waveguide and the PIE waveguide with both BTB tapers. In the presence of ammonia, the BTB film changes color from yellow to blue, which causes absorption of the 633-nm guided wave. Our experimental results demonstrate that such a guided wave absorption-based ammonia-gas sensor is much more sensitive than one based on evanescent-wave absorption. A detection limit of part in 10(9) of ammonia has been realized for a BTB film-PIE glass COWG.

Nafion Film/K+-Exchanged Glass Optical Waveguide sensor for BTX Detection

An optical waveguide (OWG) sensor for the detection of BTX gases is reported. The highly sensitive element of this sensor was made by coating the copper Nafion film over a single-mode potassium ion exchanged glass OWG. We used the OWG sensor to detect toluene gas as a typical example BTX gas. The sensor exhibits a linear response to toluene in the range of 0.25-4250 ppm with response and recovery times less than 25 s. The sensor has a short response time, high sensitivity, and good reversibility.

Fabrication and Application of a Composite Optical Waveguide Using Peroxopolytungstic Acid Films

Uniform peroxopolytungstic acid (PTA) thin films with a high index were fabricated by dip-coating potassium ion-exchanged glass optical waveguides (OWGs) with aqueous and alcoholic PTA solutions. Dip-etching of the PTA film in water produced two 3 mm long tapered ends as couplers of the PTA/K + composite OWGs, leading to adiabatic transition of the TE 0 mode twice based on tapered velocity coupling theory between the potassium ion-exchanged layer and the PTA thin film. Such PTA/K + composite OWGs can be applied to guided-wave absorption gas sensors by doping active dye molecules into the PTA films, which are expected to have a greater sensitivity than the popular evanescent absorption sensors. In this paper, PTA/K + composite OWGs were used as a polarimetric interferometer for detection of formaldehyde toxic gas. A reversible interaction between PTA film and formaldehyde molecules, which caused a change in the phase difference between the zeroth order optical modes of transversal electric field and transversal magnetic field (TE 0 and TM 0 modes) in the PTA/K + composite OWG, was observed. The sensing mechanism of the PTA film for formaldehyde gas is herein discussed.

Optical Waveguide BTX Gas Sensor Based on Yttrium-Doped Lithium Iron Phosphate Thin Film

Yttrium-doped LiFePO4 powder was synthesized using the hydrothermal method in one step and was used as a sensing material. An optical waveguide (OWG) sensor based on Yttrium-doped LiFePO4 has been developed by spin coating a thin film of LiFe0.99Y0.01PO4 onto a single-mode Tin-diffused glass optical waveguide. Light was coupled into and out of glass OWG employed by a pair of prisms. The guided wave transmits in waveguide layer and passes through the film as an evanescent wave. The sensing film is stable in air, but when exposed to target gas at room temperature, its optical properties such as transmittance (T) and refractive index () were changed; thus, the transmitted light intensity was changed. The LiFe0.99Y0.01PO4 thin film OWG exhibits reversible response to xylene gas in the range of 0.1–1000 ppm. When the concentration of BTX gases was lower than 1ppm, other substances caused a little interference with the detection of xylene vapor. Compared to pure LiFePO4 thin film OWG, this sensor exhibited higher sensitivity to BTXs.

A Functionalized Tetrakis(4-Nitrophenyl)Porphyrin Film Optical Waveguide Sensor for Detection of H2S and Ethanediamine Gases

The detection of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and ethanediamine, toxic gases that are emitted from industrial processes, is important for health and safety. An optical sensor, based on the absorption spectrum of tetrakis(4-nitrophenyl)porphyrin (TNPP) immobilized in a Nafion membrane (Nf) and deposited onto an optical waveguide glass slide, has been developed for the detection of these gases. Responses to analytes were compared for sensors modified with TNPP and Nf-TNPP composites. Among them, Nf-TNPP exhibited significant responses to H2S and ethanediamine. The analytical performance characteristics of the Nf-TNPP-modified sensor were investigated and the response mechanism is discussed in detail. The sensor exhibited excellent reproducibilities, reversibilities, and selectivities, with detection limits for H2S and ethanediamine of 1 and 10 ppb, respectively, and it is a promising candidate for use in industrial sensing applications.