Martin Becker

Fiber Bragg grating inscription combining DUV sub-picosecond laser pulses and two-beam interferometry

The combination of fiber Bragg grating inscription with femtosecond laser sources and the usage of the Talbot interferometer setup not only gives access to the fabrication of Bragg gratings in new types of materials but also allows, at the same time, to keep the high flexibility of an interferometric setup in choosing the Bragg grating wavelength. Since the spatial and temporal coherence properties of the femtosecond laser source differ strongly from those of conventional laser sources, specific limits and tolerances in the interferometric setup have to be considered. Such limits are investigated on the basis of an analytical ray tracing model. The results are applied to tolerance measurements of fiber Bragg grating reflections recorded with a DUV sub-picosecond laser source at 262 nm. Additionally we demonstrate the wavelength versatility of the two-beam interferometer setup for femtosecond inscription over a 40 nm wavelength band. Inscription experiments in Al/Yb doped silica glasses are demonstrated as a prove for the access to non-photosensitive fibers.

Transversal Load Sensing With Fiber Bragg Gratings in Microstructured Optical Fibers

We present fiber Bragg grating based transversal load sensing with a highly birefringent microstructured optical fiber. For the bare fiber, the change of the Bragg peak separation under a transverse line load was simulated with a finite-element model and experimentally verified. We also show that microstructured optical fibers with fiber Bragg gratings can be successfully embedded in a carbon fiber reinforced composite material. The linear dependence of the Bragg peak separation to a transversal stress in the composite sample was measured to be 15.3 pm/MPa.

Thermal regeneration of fiber Bragg gratings in photosensitive fibers

We report about a thermal regeneration of fiber Bragg gratings written in photosensitive fibers with nanosecond laser pulses. We observe a regenerative process in a highly photosensitive fiber without hydrogen loading which indicates a secondary grating growth in an optical fiber by thermal activation. This process is more temperature stable than the commonly known gratings produced by color center modifications. The writing conditions of such new type of gratings are investigated and the temperature behavior of these regenerated fiber Bragg gratings is analyzed. The application possibilities are in the field of high temperature sensor systems by making use of the combination of good spectral shape of a Type I grating with a Type II like temperature stability.

Fiber Bragg Gratings in Germanium-Doped Highly Birefringent Microstructured Optical Fibers

We present a dedicated fiber Bragg grating (FBG) inscription experiment to investigate the compatibility of a microstructured optical fiber (MOF) with conventional FBG inscription setups. For the studied MOF, the angular orientation of the fiber in the interferometric excimer laser setup was found to have no significant influence on the final reflection of the inscribed FBGs. We also show that an array of multiplexed FBGs can be inscribed in a single MOF with a repeatability and quality that match fiber sensing requirements.

Microstructured Optical Fiber Sensors Embedded in a Laminate Composite for Smart Material Applications

Fiber Bragg gratings written in highly birefringent microstructured optical fiber with a dedicated design are embedded in a composite fiber-reinforced polymer. The Bragg peak wavelength shifts are measured under controlled axial and transversal strain and during thermal cycling of the composite sample. We obtain a sensitivity to transversal strain that exceeds values reported earlier in literature by one order of magnitude. Our results evidence the relevance of using microstructured optical fibers for structural integrity monitoring of composite material structures.

Multicore fiber with integrated fiber Bragg gratings for background-free Raman sensing

In the last years a variety of fiber optic Raman probes emerged, which are only partly suited for in vivo applications. The in vivo capability is often limited by the bulkiness of the probes. The size is associated with the required filtering of the probes, which is necessary due to Raman scattering inside the fibers. We employed in-line fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) as notch filter for the collection path and integrated them in a novel type of Raman probe. Multicore singlemode fibers (MCSMF) were designed and drawn integrating 19 singlemode cores to achieve better collection efficiency. A Raman probe was assembled with one excitation fiber and six MCSMF with inscribed FBGs as collection fibers. The probe was characterized regarding Raman background suppression, collection efficiency, and distance dependence. First Raman measurements on brain tissue are presented.

H 2 Sensing Based on a Pd-Coated Tapered-FBG Fabricated by DUV Femtosecond Laser Technique

An optical fiber probe sensor based on a tapered-fiber Bragg grating (FBG) coated with 150-nm-thick Pd film is proposed for hydrogen detection. The FBG was written in a 50-μm-diameter tapered fiber by deep ultraviolet femtosecond laser technology. A second FBG was inscribed in the 125 μm-fiber section for temperature compensation. The sensing head was able to detect H2 concentration in the range 0%-1% (v/v) H2 at room temperature; a maximum sensitivity of 81.8 pm/% (v/v) H2 was attained with temperature compensation. The influence of the Pd coating over temperature sensitivity of standard and tapered-FBGs is also presented.

Response of FBGs in Microstructured and Bow Tie Fibers Embedded in Laminated Composite

Fiber Bragg gratings in bow tie fiber and highly birefringent microstructured optical fiber are embedded in a carbon fiber reinforced epoxy. The Bragg peak wavelength shifts of the embedded gratings are measured under controlled bending, transversal loading, and thermal cycling of the composite sample. We obtain similar axial and transversal strain sensitivities for the two embedded fiber types. We also highlight the low temperature dependence of the Bragg peak separation of the microstructured fibers, which is an important advantage for this application. The results show the feasibility of using microstructured fibers in structural integrity monitoring.

Fiber Bragg grating inscription in pure-silica and Ge-doped photonic crystal fibers

We report on fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) inscribed in pure-silica and Ge-doped photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) with a two-beam interference technique and a femtosecond or excimer laser. Such a technique enables the inscription of FBGs for different Bragg wavelengths with high flexibility. Effects of H(2)-loading and Ge doping on the efficiency of grating inscription were investigated by measuring the development of Bragg wavelength and attenuation in the transmission spectra with an increased exposure dose. H(2)-loading dramatically enhances the laser-induced index modulation not only in Ge-doped PCFs but also in pure-silica PCFs. We observed a reversible Bragg wavelength shift during femtosecond pulse irradiation, which indicates an internal temperature rise of approximately 77 degrees C.

Awareness and Learning in Participatory Noise Sensing

The development of ICT infrastructures has facilitated the emergence of new paradigms for looking at society and the environment over the last few years. Participatory environmental sensing, i.e. directly involving citizens in environmental monitoring, is one example, which is hoped to encourage learning and enhance awareness of environmental issues. In this paper, an analysis of the behaviour of individuals involved in noise sensing is presented. Citizens have been involved in noise measuring activities through the WideNoise smartphone application. This application has been designed to record both objective (noise samples) and subjective (opinions, feelings) data. The application has been open to be used freely by anyone and has been widely employed worldwide. In addition, several test cases have been organised in European countries. Based on the information submitted by users, an analysis of emerging awareness and learning is performed. The data show that changes in the way the environment is perceived after repeated usage of the application do appear. Specifically, users learn how to recognise different noise levels they are exposed to. Additionally, the subjective data collected indicate an increased user involvement in time and a categorisation effect between pleasant and less pleasant environments.