We propose and demonstrate a thinned fiber based Mach-Zehnder interferometer for multi-purpose sensing applications. The sensor head is formed by all-fiber in-line singlemode-multimode-thinned-singlemode (SMTS) fiber structure, only using the splicing method. The principle of operation relies on the effect that the thinned fiber cladding modes interference with the core mode by employing a multimode fiber as a mode coupler. Experimental results showed that the liquid refractive index information can be simultaneously provided from measuring the sensitivity of the liquid level. A 9.00 mm long thinned fiber sensor at a wavelength of 1538.7228 nm exhibits a water level sensitivity of -175.8 pm/mm, and refractive index sensitivity as high as -1868.42 (pm/mm)/RIU, respectively. The measuring method is novel, for the first time to our knowledge. In addition, it also demonstrates that by monitoring the wavelength shift, the sensor at a wavelength of 1566.4785 nm exhibits a refractive index sensitivity of -25.2935 nm/RIU, temperature sensitivity of 0.0615 nm/°C, and axial strain sensitivity of -2.99 pm/με, respectively. Moreover, the sensor fabrication process is very simple and cost effective.

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A ring laser based on a transmission‐type fiber bragg grating (FBG)‐Fabry–Perot filter sensor probe is proposed, and ignoring the effect of multilongitudinal modes using a special demodulation method, the new scheme is suitable for long distance sensing. Such a sensing system has been demonstrated in the experiment, and the experimental result shows the minimal temperature sensitivity is about 1°C. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:15–16, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.27254

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