Photonic Crystal Fiber–Based Interferometric Sensors

Abstract

Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs), also known as microstructured optical fibers, are a highlighted invention of optical fiber technology which have unveiled a new domain of manipulating light in engineered fiber waveguides with unparalleled flexibility and controllability. Since the report of the first fabricated PCF in 1996, research in PCFs has resulted in numerous explorations, development and commercialization of PCF-based technologies and applications. PCFs contain axially aligned air channels which provide a large degree of freedom in design to achieve a variety of peculiar properties; numerous PCF-based sensors have been proposed, developed and demonstrated for a broad range of sensing applications. In this chapter, we will review the field of research on design, development and experimental achievement of PCF-based interferometric sensors for physical and biomedical sensing applications.

Designing Magnetic Field Sensor Based on Tapered Photonic Crystal Fibre Assisted by A Ferrofluid

“…The length of the collapsed zones is carefully controlled via changing the intensity and the duration of arc discharge. In the fabricated PCF-MZI, one propagating beam is referred to the sensing arm and the other one is called reference arm 23 . Even though the physical length of the two arms is identical, the interference signal can be detected.…”

“…Especially, the unique properties of PCFs makes them appealing for optical sensing. PCF-based interferometric sensors include Fabry-Pérot interferometer, Mach-Zehnder interferometer, Michelson interferometer and Sagnac interferometer [22][23][24] . In particular, to implement an in-line Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI), a beam splitter and a beam combiner are needed to guide light in the arms of the interferometer 25 .…”

Designing magnetic field sensor based on tapered photonic crystal fibre assisted by a ferrofluid

“…The experimental setup of the magnetic field sensor is shown in Figure 1 The length of the collapsed zones is carefully controlled by changing the intensity and the duration of arc discharge. In the fabricated PCF-MZI, one propagating beam is referred to as the sensing arm and the other one is called the reference arm 26 . Even though the physical length of the two arms is identical, the interference signal can be detected.…”

“…Especially, the unique properties of PCFs make them appealing for optical sensing. PCF-based interferometric sensors include Fabry-Pérot interferometer, Mach-Zehnder interferometer, Michelson interferometer, and Sagnac interferometer [25][26][27] . In particular, to implement an in-line Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI), a beam splitter, and a beam combiner are needed to guide light in the arms of the interferometer 28 .…”

Hollow-Core Photonic Crystal Fiber Mach–Zehnder Interferometer for Gas Sensing

“…For detecting the presence of gases, especially in extreme conditions, the silica optical fiber provides a promising platform, due to its unique properties. These include immunity to electromagnetic radiation [4], high-temperature durability [5], compactness, as well as high accuracy and sensitivity [6]. Researchers have pursued the applicability of optical fiber sensors across many sensing applications, because of their multifunctional sensing capabilities (e.g., refractive index (RI), temperature, and pressure) [7].…”