P. Caldas

All-fiber Mach-Zehnder curvature sensor based on multimode interference combined with a long-period grating

A novel Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on a fiber multimode interference structure combined with a long-period fiber grating (LPG) is proposed. The multimode interference is achieved through the use of a MMF section spliced between two single-mode fibers, with a length adjusted to couple a fraction of light into the cladding modes. A LPG placed after the MMF couples light back into the fiber core, completing the Mach-Zehnder interferometer. This novel configuration was demonstrated as a bending sensor.

Modal interferometer based on hollow-core photonic crystal fiber for strain and temperature measurement

In this work, sensitivity to strain and temperature of a sensor relying on modal interferometry in hollow-core photonic crystal fibers is studied. The sensing structure is simply a piece of hollow-core fiber connected in both ends to standard single mode fiber. An interference pattern that is associated to the interference of light that propagates in the hollow core fundamental mode with light that propagates in other modes is observed. The phase of this interference pattern changes with the measurand interaction, which is the basis for considering this structure for sensing. The phase recovery is performed using a white light interferometric technique. Resolutions of +/- 1.4 microepsilon and +/- 0.2 degrees C were achieved for strain and temperature, respectively. It was also found that the fiber structure is not sensitive to curvature.

Optical flowmeter using a modal interferometer based on a single nonadiabatic fiber taper

A novel in-fiber modal interferometer is presented that is based on a nonadiabatic biconical fused taper that couples light between the cladding and the core, combined with the Fresnel reflection at the fiber end. It is observed that the returned light from this fiber structure shows a channeled spectrum similar to that of a two-wave Michelson interferometer. The application of this device as a fiber optic flowmeter sensor is demonstrated.

Fabry-Perot refractometer based on an end-of-fiber polymer tip

A micrometric Fabry-Perot refractometer based on an end-of-fiber polymer tip is proposed. The fiber tip, with a length of 36 mum, was fabricated by self-guiding photopolymerization. The two-wave interferometric operation was achieved by combining the light waves generated at the interface between the single-mode fiber and the polymer tip, and at the fiber tip end (Fresnel reflection). The Fabry-Perot interferometer is coherence addressed and heterodyne interrogated, resulting into a liquid refractive index resolution of approximately 7.5x10(-4).

Optical fiber refractometer based on a Fabry-Pérot interferometer

A fiber optic sensor for liquid refractive index measurement based on a Fabry-Perot interferometer is described. The interferometer is achieved between the reflection of a short fiber Bragg grating and the Fresnel reflection from the cleaved fiber end. This fiber end is then in contact with the liquid sample to provide refractive index measurements. The sensor is characterized by immersing the fiber tip in distilled water with different concentrations of ethylene glycol. A linear relation of the interferometer fringe visibility with refractive index variation is observed, and a resolution of ~10−3 is obtained. It is also shown that the sensor operation is independent of temperature effects, other than the one related to temperature-induced change of the liquid refractive index.

Fiber optic hot-wire flowmeter based on a metallic coated hybrid long period grating/fiber Bragg grating structure

In this work an all-optical hot-wire flowmeter based on a silver coated fiber combining a long period grating and a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) structure is proposed. Light from a pump laser at 1480  nm propagating down the fiber is coupled by the long period grating into the fiber cladding and is absorbed by the silver coating deposited on the fiber surface over the Bragg grating structure. This absorption acts like a hot wire raising the fiber temperature locally, which is effectively detected by the FBG resonance shift. The temperature increase depends on the flow speed of the surrounding air, which has the effect of cooling the fiber. It is demonstrated that the Bragg wavelength shift can be related to the flow speed. A flow speed resolution of 0.08  m/s is achieved using this new configuration.

Quantum dots as self-referenced optical fibre temperature probes for luminescent chemical sensors

The use of semiconductor nano-particles as temperature probes in luminescence chemical sensing applications is addressed. Temperature changes the intensity, the peak wavelength and the spectral width of the quantum dots luminescent emission in a linear and reversible way. Results are presented that show the feasibility of implementing a self-referenced intensity-based sensor to perform temperature measurements independent of the optical power level in the sensing system. A resolution of 0.3 °C was achieved. In addition, it is demonstrated that self-referenced temperature measurements at multiple points could be performed using reflection or transmission based optical fibre configurations.

Applications of quantum dots in optical fiber luminescent oxygen sensors

The potential applications of luminescent semiconductor nanocrystals to optical oxygen sensing are explored. The suitability of quantum dots to provide a reference signal in luminescence-based chemical sensors is addressed. A CdSe-ZnS nanocrystal, with an emission peak at 520 nm, is used to provide a reference signal. Measurements of oxygen concentration, which are based on the dynamic quenching of the luminescence of a ruthenium complex, are performed. Both the dye and the nanocrystal are immobilized in a solgel matrix and are excited by a blue LED. Experimental results show that the ratio between the reference and the sensor signals is highly insensitive to fluctuations of the excitation optical power. The use of CdTe, near-infrared quantum dots with an emission wavelength of 680 nm, in combination with a ruthenium complex to provide a new mechanism for oxygen sensing, is investigated. The possibility of creating oxygen sensitivity in different spectral regions is demonstrated. The results obtained clearly show that this technique can be applied to develop a wavelength division multiplexed system of oxygen sensors.

Characterization of the response of a dual resonance of an arc-induced long-period grating to various physical parameters

We present, for the first time to our knowledge, results on the characterization of response of a dual resonance observed in the spectrum of a single long-period grating arc-induced in a B/Ge co-doped fiber to different physical parameters. The dual resonance is formed by two overlapping resonances corresponding to coupling of the core mode to symmetric and antisymmetric cladding modes. Therefore, these resonances may behave differently when strain, bending, torsion, or temperature is applied to the grating. We show that the bending, strain, and torsion sensitivities of the two resonances are very different, while the temperature sensitivities are almost the same.

Fiber Optic-Based Refractive Index Sensing at INESC Porto

A review of refractive index measurement based on different types of optical fiber sensor configurations and techniques is presented. It addresses the main developments in the area, with particular focus on results obtained at INESC Porto, Portugal. The optical fiber sensing structures studied include those based on Bragg and long period gratings, on micro-interferometers, on plasmonic effects in fibers and on multimode interference in a large spectrum of standard and microstructured optical fibers.