Harnessing the fiber fuse for sensing applications

Abstract

A simple refractive index sensor based on a small section of fiber damaged by the fiber fuse is proposed and demonstrated with a sensitivity of 350.58 nm/refractive index unit (RIU). For comparison, a hetero-core structure fiber sensor composed of a short no-core fiber (NCF) sandwiched between two pieces of single-mode fibers is demonstrated with a sensitivity of 157.29 nm/RIU. The fiber fuse technique can allow mass production of sensors by incorporating small sections of the damaged fiber of any type into each device. We believe this is the first application of the periodic damage tracks in optical fibers formed by the fiber fuse.

Cavity Formation Modeling of Fiber Fuse in Single-Mode Optical Fibers

“…When a fiber fuse is generated, the core layer in which the fuse propagates is seriously damaged, and the damage has the form of periodic or nonperiodic bullet-shaped cavities remaining in the core [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] (see Figure 1). Needless to say, the density in a cavity is lower than that of the neighboring silica glass.…”

“…It has been found that molecular oxygen is released and remains in the cavities while maintaining a high pressure (about 4 atmospheres [7] or 5-10 atmospheres [19]) at room temperature. Recently, several types of sensors based on periodic cavities have been proposed as a cost-effective approach to sensor production [26][27][28]. The dynamics of cavity formation have been investigated since the discovery of the fiber-fuse phenomenon.…”

End Face Damage and Fiber Fuse Phenomena in Single-Mode Fiber-Optic Connectors

“…The damage has the form of periodic or nonperiodic bulletshaped cavities left in the core [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21].…”

Cavity Generation Modeling of Fiber Fuse in Single-Mode Optical Fibers

“…When a fiber fuse is generated, the core layer in which the fuse propagates is seriously damaged, and the damage has the form of periodic bullet-shaped cavities or non-periodic filaments remaining in the core [6][7][8][9][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] (see Figure 1). Needless to say, the density in a cavity or filament is lower than that of the neighboring silica glass.…”

“…It has been found that molecular oxygen is released and remains in the cavities while maintaining a high pressure (about 4 atm [7] or 5-10 atm [20]) at room temperature. Recently, several types of sensors based on periodic cavities have been proposed as a cost-effective approach to sensor production [27][28][29].…”