A Sensitivity-Enhanced Refractive Index Sensor Using a Single-Mode Thin-Core Fiber Incorporating an Abrupt Taper

A Sensitivity-Enhanced Refractive Index Sensor Using a Single-Mode Thin-Core Fiber Incorporating an Abrupt Taper

Citation

Shi, J.; Xiao, S.; Yi, L.; Bi, M. A Sensitivity-Enhanced Refractive Index Sensor Using a Single-Mode Thin-Core Fiber Incorporating an Abrupt Taper. Sensors , 12, 4697–4705

Keywords

  • refractive index sensor
  • inter-model interferometer
  • fiber taper

Brief

A sensitivity-enhanced fiber-optic refractive index (RI) sensor, based on a tapered single-mode thin-core diameter fiber, was proposed and experimentally demonstrated to have a refractive index sensitivity measured to be 0.591 nm for 1% change of surrounding RI.

Summary

Researchers demonstrated a cost-effective, highly sensitive refractive index (RI) sensor. The in-line inter-modal interferometer (IMI) sensor is made by placing a tapered thin core diameter fiber (TCF) between two single-mode fibers (SMFs). Higher order cladding modes, which are more sensitive to surrounding RI changes, are excited by the abrupt taper. The sensor's sensitivity can be further enhanced by increasing the taper length or decreasing the waist diameter, though a smaller waist diameter can impact the robustness of the device. The entire fabrication process uses a commercially available fiber fusion splicer, making this sensor simple and cost-effective to manufacture.
This research was published in Sensors in 2012. The authors, Jie Shi, Shilin Xiao, Lilin Yi, and Meihua Bi, concluded that the sensor has potential applications in chemical and biological sensing.

Origin: https://www.semanticscholar.org/reader/b40694f09d384f685601d4fa37dd8123a6a91f2d

 

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