Mo/Au proximity bilayers as transition edge sensors (TESs) are promising candidates for low-temperature thermometry. The transition temperature of the bilayers can be easily tuned between 50 and 600 mK, yielding sensors which can be used in a variety of calorimetric and bolometric applications. With phase transition widths of less than 1 mK, Mo/Au TESs show very high temperature sensitivity (d(log R)/d(log T ) ∼ 2500). Also, Mo/Au TESs show improved thermal and chemical stability compared to most other bilayer configurations. Fabrication issues and detector performance of Mo/Au TESs on Si 3 N 4 membranes are discussed.

A fiber sensor based on a polyaniline (PANI) film that is coated on the surface of an etched superstructure fiber grating to detect volatile solvent vapors is experimentally demonstrated. This sensing mechanism is based on the interaction of the testing gas with the polyaniline coating film, which changes the film index, resulting in a shift in the Bragg wavelength. The sensitivity of this sensor to ammonia (NH 3 ) gas is about 0.073 pm ppm −1 , which depends on the optical characteristics of the fiber grating, the diameter of the fiber cladding and the constituents of the sensing film. Methanol concentrations can also be measured using this sensing scheme. The sensitivity of this sensor must be improved to provide a simple, reliable, repeatable and non-destructive method for sensing various chemical gases.