Guigen Liu

High-resolution and Fast-response Fiber-optic Temperature Sensor Using Silicon Fabry-Perot Cavity

We report a fiber-optic sensor based on a silicon Fabry-Pérot cavity, fabricated by attaching a silicon pillar on the tip of a single-mode fiber, for high-resolution and high-speed temperature measurement. The large thermo-optic coefficient and thermal expansion coefficient of the silicon material give rise to an experimental sensitivity of 84.6 pm/°C. The excellent transparency and large refractive index of silicon over the infrared wavelength range result in a visibility of 33 dB for the reflection spectrum. A novel average wavelength tracking method has been proposed and demonstrated for sensor demodulation with improved signal-to-noise ratio, which leads to a temperature resolution of 6 × 10⁻⁴ °C. Due to the high thermal diffusivity of silicon, a response time as short as 0.51 ms for a sensor with an 80-µm-diameter and 200-µm-long silicon pillar has been experimentally achieved, suggesting a maximum frequency of ~2 kHz can be reached, to address the needs for highly dynamic environmental variations such as those found in the ocean.

Fast-Response Fiber-Optic Anemometer with Temperature Self-Compensation

We report a novel fiber-optic anemometer with self-temperature compensation capability based on a Fabry-Pérot interferometer (FPI) formed by a thin silicon film attached to the end face of a single-mode fiber. Guided in the fiber are a visible laser beam from a 635 nm diode laser used to heat the FPI and a white-light in the infrared wavelength range as the signal light to interrogate the optical length of the FPI. Cooling effects on the heated sensor head by wind is converted to a wavelength blueshift of the reflection spectral fringes of the FPI. Self-temperature-compensated measurement of wind speed is achieved by recording the difference in fringe wavelengths when the heating laser is turned on and then off. Large thermal-optic coefficient and thermal expansion coefficient of silicon render a high sensitivity that can also be easily tuned by altering the heating laser power. Furthermore, the large thermal diffusivity and the small mass of the thin silicon film endow a fast sensor response.

Development of plasma bolometers using fiber-optic temperature sensors

Measurements of radiated power in magnetically confined plasmas are important for exhaust studies in present experiments and expected to be a critical diagnostic for future fusion reactors. Resistive bolometer sensors have long been utilized in tokamaks and helical devices but suffer from electromagnetic interference (EMI). Results are shown from initial testing of a new bolometer concept based on fiber-optic temperature sensor technology. A small, 80 μm diameter, 200 μm long silicon pillar attached to the end of a single mode fiber-optic cable acts as a Fabry-Pérot cavity when broadband light, λo ∼ 1550 nm, is transmitted along the fiber. Changes in temperature alter the optical path length of the cavity primarily through the thermo-optic effect, resulting in a shift of fringes reflected from the pillar detected using an I-MON 512 OEM spectrometer. While initially designed for use in liquids, this sensor has ideal properties for use as a plasma bolometer: a time constant, in air, of ∼150 ms, strong absorption in the spectral range of plasma emission, immunity to local EMI, and the ability to measure changes in temperature remotely. Its compact design offers unique opportunities for integration into the vacuum environment in places unsuitable for a resistive bolometer. Using a variable focus 5 mW, 405 nm, modulating laser, the signal to noise ratio versus power density of various bolometer technologies are directly compared, estimating the noise equivalent power density (NEPD). Present tests show the fiber-optic bolometer to have NEPD of 5-10 W/m2 when compared to those of the resistive bolometer which can achieve <0.5 W/m2 in the laboratory, but this can degrade to 1-2 W/m2 or worse when installed on a tokamak. Concepts are discussed to improve the signal to noise ratio of this new fiber-optic bolometer by reducing the pillar height and adding thin metallic coatings, along with improving the spectral resolution of the interrogator.

Fiber-optic refractometer based on a phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating on a side-hole fiber

A fiber-optic refractive index (RI) sensor based on a π-phase-shifted fiber-Bragg-grating (πFBG) inscribed on a side-hole fiber is presented. The reflection spectrum of the πFBG features two narrow notches associated with the two polarization modes and the spectral spacing of the notches is used for high-sensitivity RI sensing with little temperature cross-sensitivity. The side-hole fiber maintains its outer diameter and mechanical strength. The side-hole fiber is also naturally integrated into a microfluidic system for convenient sample delivery and reduced sample amount. A novel demodulation method based on laser frequency modulation to enhance the sensor dynamic range is proposed and demonstrated.

Fiber-optic gas pressure sensing with a laser-heated silicon-based Fabry-Perot interferometer.

We report a novel fiber-optic sensor for measurement of static gas pressure based on the natural convection of a heated silicon pillar attached to a fiber tip functioning as a Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI). A visible laser beam is guided by the fiber to efficiently heat the silicon pillar, while an infrared whitelight source, also guided by the fiber, is used to measure the temperature of the FPI, which is influenced both by the laser power and the pressure through natural convection. We theoretically and experimentally show that, by monitoring the fringe shift caused by the laser heating, air pressure sensing with little temperature cross-sensitivity can be achieved. The pressure sensitivity can be easily tuned by adjusting the heating laser power. In our experiment, the sensor performance within the temperature range from 20°C to 50°C and the pressure range from 0 to 1400 psi has been characterized, showing an average sensitivity of -0.52  pm/psi. Compared to the passive version of the sensor, the pressure sensitivity was ∼15 times larger, and the temperature cross-sensitivity was ∼100 times smaller.

A novel, high-resolution, high-speed fiber-optic temperature sensor for oceanographic applications

A novel fiber-optic thermometer based on a thick silicon Fabry-Pérot interferometer (FPI) realized on the tip of a cleaved single-mode fiber has been designed and implemented, in order to achieve high resolution and high sampling rate necessary for studying underwater turbulent microstructures. The choice of silicon for its large thermal-optic coefficient and thermal expansion coefficient enables a high sensitivity of 84 pm/°C. A new data processing method, using average wavelength tracking, is proposed to reduce the wavelength noise. The high sensitivity along with the low wavelength noise results in a temperature resolution as high as 0.0009 °C. Furthermore, the good thermal conductivity of silicon endows the proposed sensor with a response time ~ 2 ms, which allows a sampling frequency of 500 Hz. By further optimizing the sensor structure, e.g. size of the silicon FPI, a better temperature resolution and quicker response can be expected. This novel temperature sensor significantly augments underwater sensing capabilities, especially those related to microstructure turbulence mixing process in the ocean. A preliminary experimental demonstration is presented, where the sensor was used to measure the highly dynamic temperature variations induced by a sharp thermo-gradient underwater.

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of an Intensity-Demodulated Fiber-Ring-Laser Ultrasonic Sensor System

We theoretically and experimentally investigate the performance of an ultrasound detection system based on a fiber ring laser (FRL) whose cavity includes a pair of fiber Bragg gratings. The ultrasonic detection is achieved by the FRL power variations in response to the ultrasound-induced cold-cavity loss modulation of the FRL. The effects of key FRL parameters, including pump power, laser cold-cavity loss, and laser cavity length, on the system signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance have been investigated. It is found that the maximum SNR is achieved when the frequency of the ultrasound is the same as that of the FRL relaxation oscillation (RO). Harmonic generations are more prominent when the ultrasonic frequency is at the RO frequency and highly dependent on the strength of the ultrasonic signal. The analysis provides a useful tool for the understanding and optimization of such ultrasonic sensor systems.

Self-gauged fiber-optic micro-heater with an operation temperature above 1000°C

We report a fiber-optic micro-heater based on a miniature crystalline silicon Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) fusion spliced to the endface of a single-mode fiber. The silicon FPI, having a diameter of 100 μm and a length of 10 or 200 μm, is heated by a 980 nm laser diode guided through the lead-in fiber, leading to a localized hot spot with a temperature that can be conveniently tuned from the ambient temperature to >1000°C in air. In the meantime, using a white light system operating in the 1550 nm wavelength window where the silicon is transparent, the silicon FPI itself also serves as a thermometer with high resolution and high speed for convenient monitoring and precise control of the heater temperature. Due to its small size, high temperature capability, and easy operation, the micro-heater is attractive for applications in a variety of fields, such as biology, microfluidics system, mechanical engineering, and high-temperature optical sensing. As an example, the application of this micro-heater as a micro-boiler and micro-bubble generator has been demonstrated.

Acoustic emission sensor system using a chirped fiber-Bragg-grating Fabry-Perot interferometer and smart feedback control

We demonstrate a fiber-optic acoustic emission (AE) sensor system that is capable of performing AE detection, even when the sensor is experiencing large quasi-static strains. The sensor is a Fabry-Perot interferometer formed by cascaded chirped fiber-Bragg gratings (CFBGs). The reflection spectrum of the sensor features a number of narrow spectral notches equally spaced within the reflection bandwidth of the CFBG. A semiconductor laser whose wavelength can be fast tuned through current injection is used to lock the laser line to the center of a slope of a spectral notch. When the notch is knocked out of the tuning range of the laser, a neighboring notch moves into the range. Through a smart feedback control scheme, the laser is unlocked from the current spectral lock and relocked to the desired point of the new notch. The fast speed of the unlocking/relocking process (<1  ms) ensures that the AE signal is monitored without significant disruption.

Influence of fiber bending on wavelength demodulation of fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometric sensors

In practical applications of fiber optic sensors based on Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPIs), the lead-in optical fiber often experiences dynamic or static bending due to environmental perturbations or limited installation space. Bending introduces wavelength-dependent losses to the sensors, which can cause erroneous readings for sensors based on wavelength demodulation interrogation. Here, we investigate the bending-induced wavelength shift (BIWS) to sensors based on FPIs. Partially explicit expressions of BIWSs for the reflection fringe peaks and valleys have been derived for sensors based on low-finesse FPI. The theoretical model predicts these findings: 1) provided that a fringe peak experiences the same modulation slope by bending losses with a fringe valley, BIWSs for the peak and valley have opposite signs and the BIWS for the valley has a smaller absolute value; 2) BIWS is a linear function of the length of the bending section; 3) a FPI with higher visibility and longer optical path length is more resistant to the influence of bending. Experiments have been carried out and the results agree well with the theoretical predictions.