Miniature fiber-optic Fabry-Perot refractive index sensor for gas sensing with a resolution of 5x10-9 RIU

A Review on Photonic Sensing Technologies: Status and Outlook

In contemporary science and technology, photonic sensors are essential. They may be made to be extremely resistant to some physical parameters while also being extremely sensitive to other physical variables. Most photonic sensors may be incorporated on chips and operate with CMOS technology, making them suitable for use as extremely sensitive, compact, and affordable sensors. Photonic sensors can detect electromagnetic (EM) wave changes and convert them into an electric signal due to the photoelectric effect. Depending on the requirements, scientists have found ways to develop photonic sensors based on several interesting platforms. In this work, we extensively review the most generally utilized photonic sensors for detecting vital environmental parameters and personal health care. These sensing systems include optical waveguides, optical fibers, plasmonics, metasurfaces, and photonic crystals. Various aspects of light are used to investigate the transmission or reflection spectra of photonic sensors. In general, resonant cavity or grating-based sensor configurations that work on wavelength interrogation methods are preferred, so these sensor types are mostly presented. We believe that this paper will provide insight into the novel types of available photonic sensors.

Design and analysis of graphene- and germanium-based plasmonic probe with photonic spin Hall effect in THz frequency region for magnetic field and refractive index sensing

In this work, we analyze the design of a graphene- and germanium-based plasmonic sensor with photonic spin Hall effect (PSHE) for detection of refractive index (RI) of a gas medium and magnetic field (B) applied to the graphene monolayer in THz frequency region. The PSHE phenomenon is studied in both conventional as well as modified weak measurements. The effect of gaseous medium thickness (d₄), transverse magnetic (TM) mode's order, and amplified angle parameter (Δ) is studied on the sensor's performance. Parameters such as sensitivity, resolution, and figure of merit have been considered for sensor's performance evaluation. The results indicate that in the conventional weak measurements, for a TM₁ mode (with d₄ = 20 µm, B = 0, and Δ = 0.1°), an RI resolution of 2.32 × 10^-12 RIU is achievable for gas medium in the range 1-1.1 RIU. In the modified weak measurements, for a TM₃ mode (with d₄ = 100 µm, B = 0, and Δ = 0.1°), the RI resolution close to 1.39 × 10^-10 RIU is achievable for gas sensing. The same sensor design was also studied for magnetic field sensing while keeping the value of gaseous medium RI (n₄) as 1. The results indicate that for a TM₁ mode (with d₄ = 20 µm and Δ = 0.1°), in the conventional weak measurements, a magnetic field resolution of 5.31 × 10^-4 µT (i.e., 0.53 nT) is achievable for a range 0-1 T of B. Further, it is found that in contrast with the conventional case, the resolutions in the modified weak measurements are improved for large values of the Δ. Some of the results emerge better or comparable with the resolutions of RI and magnetic field measurement (5 × 10^-9 RIU and 0.7 µT or 1.22 × 10^-11 RIU and 1.46 × 10^-2 µT) existing in the literature.

Selectivity in trace gas sensing: recent developments, challenges, and future perspectives

Selectivity is one of the most crucial figures of merit in trace gas sensing, and thus a comprehensive assessment is necessary to have a clear picture of sensitivity, selectivity, and their interrelations in terms of quantitative and qualitative views.

Fiber Fabry-Perot astrophotonic correlation spectroscopy for remote gas identification and radial velocity measurements

We present a novel, to the best of our knowledge, remote gas detection and identification technique based on correlation spectroscopy with a piezoelectric tunable fiber-optic Fabry-Perot filter. We show that the spectral correlation amplitude between the filter transmission window and gas absorption features is related to the gas absorption optical depth, and that different gases can be distinguished from one another using their correlation signal phase. Using a previously captured telluric-corrected high-resolution near-infrared spectrum of Venus, we show that the radial velocity of Venus can be extracted from the phase of higher order harmonic lock-in signals. This correlation spectroscopy technique has applications in the detection and radial velocity determination of weak spectral features in astronomy and remote sensing. We experimentally demonstrate a remote CO₂ detection system using a lock-in amplifier, fiber-optic Fabry-Perot filter, and single channel avalanche photodiode.

All-silica fiber-optic temperature-depth-salinity sensor based on cascaded EFPIs and FBG for deep sea exploration

Using fusion splicing and hydroxide catalysis bonding (HCB) technology, an all-silica inline fiber-optic sensor with high-pressure survivability, high-resolution salinity measurement capability, and corrosion resistance for deep sea explorations is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Two extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometers (EFPIs) and a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) are cascaded in one single-mode fiber (SMF), enabling structural integration of single lead-in fiber and versatility of the sensing probe for temperature, depth, and salinity monitoring. The HCB technology offers a polymer adhesive-free assembly of one open-cavity EFPI for refractive index (RI) (salinity) sensing under normal pressure and temperature (NPT) conditions, showing obvious advantages of strong bonding strength, reliable effectiveness, and no corrosive chemicals requirements. The other EFPI formed by a fused structure is designed for pressure (depth) measurement. The cascading of EFPIs, especially the open-cavity EFPI immersed in water, will result in large light transmission loss and bring challenges to signal interrogation. Graded-index fiber (GIF) micro-collimators and reflective films are added to prevent dramatic degradations of signal intensity and fringe visibility underwater. Thereby, a Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity of several hundreds of microns in length and an open cavity of a thousand microns can be cascaded for underwater applications, effectively enhancing sensitivities and underwater signal readout simultaneously. Results show that the proposed sensor can well operate in the deep-sea pressure range of 0∼2039.43 mH₂O, RI range of 1.33239∼1.36885 RIU, and temperature range of 23∼80 °C, with resolutions of 0.033 MPa, 4.16×10^-7 RIU, and 0.54 °C, respectively. With the multi-parameter measurement capability, all-silica construction, and inline compact structure, the proposed sensor could be a potential candidate for deep sea exploration.

High-sensitivity special open-cavity Mach-Zehnder structure for salinity measurement based on etched double-side hole fiber

A special open-cavity Mach-Zehnder salinity sensor is presented and verified in this Letter, which has obvious advantages in salinity sensitivity and loss. The open-cavity structure is composed of a short section of etched double-side hole fiber spliced between a pair of multimode fibers and connected in series between a pair of single-mode fibers, which is the SMF-MMF-etched DSHF-MMF-SMF structure proposed in the paper. According to the experiment results, when the cavity length is about 100 µm, the salinity sensitivity of the sensing probe can reach 2 nm/‰, and its refractive index (RI) sensitivity can be more than 10,000 nm/RIU, while having a low loss of ${-}{15}\;{\rm dB}$ and a detection limit of 0.23‰. Based on its characteristics, the sensor is a prospective online monitor of ocean salinity. At the same time, it also provides a low-cost way to construct an open cavity instead of femtosecond inscribing.

Temperature-insensitive hybrid interferometric liquid refractive index sensor

A temperature-insensitive all fiber Fabry-Pérot (F-P) and Mach-Zehnder (M-Z) hybrid compact structure and its sensing characteristics are proposed and theoretically and experimentally demonstrated. In one sensor, two kinds of sensing principles are existing, which is shown in the sensing process that with the increase in the refractive index (RI) of the liquid, the dip wavelengths coming from the F-P interference do red-drift, and the dips from the M-Z interference do blue-drift, respectively. Due to the opposite shift and almost the same temperature sensitivities, the dip difference between M-Z and F-P refractometers is used to eliminate temperature cross-sensitivity and improve the RI sensitivity of the sensor. In our experiments, the liquid RI sensitivity is 134.383 nm/RIU, and temperature cross-sensitivity is effectively eliminated within the ±21.74 °C change range at room temperature. This sensing structure also has advantages of simple structure, good integration, and low power loss.

Extreme field confinement in zigzag plasmonic crystals

We propose extreme field confinement in a zigzag plasmonic crystal that can produce a wide plasmonic bandgap near the visible frequency range. By applying a periodic zigzag structure to a metal-insulator-metal plasmonic waveguide, the lowest three plasmonic crystal bands are flattened, creating a high-quality broadband plasmonic mirror over a wavelength range of 526-909 nm. Utilizing zigzag plasmonic crystals in a three-dimensional tapered metal-insulator-metal plasmonic cavity, extreme field confinement with a modal volume of less than 0.00005 λ ³ can be achieved even at resonances over a wide frequency range. In addition, by selecting the number of zigzag periods in the plasmonic crystal, critical coupling between the cavity and the waveguide can be achieved, thereby maximizing the field intensity with an enhancement factor of 10⁵ or more. We believe that zigzag plasmonic crystals will provide a powerful platform for implementing broadband on-chip plasmonic devices.

Dual-Core Fiber-Based Interferometer for Detection of Gas Refractive Index

We demonstrate a dual-core fiber-based Mach–Zehnder interferometer that could be used for precise detection of variations in refractive indices of gaseous samples. The fiber used here have a solid germanium-doped silica core and an air core that allows gases to flow through. Coherent laser beams are coupled to the two cores, respectively, and thus excite guiding modes thereby. Interferogram would be produced as the light transmitted from the dual cores interferes. Variations in refractive index of the hollow core lead to variations in phase difference between the modes in the two cores, thus shifting the interference fringes. The fringe shifts can be then interrogated by a photodiode together with a narrow slit in front. The resolution of the sensor was found to be ~1 × 10−8 RIU, that is comparable to the highest resolution obtained by other fiber sensors reported in previous literatures. Other advantages of our sensor include very low cost, high sensitivity, straightforward sensing mechanism, and ease of fabrication.

A Fiber-Optic Gas Sensor and Method for the Measurement of Refractive Index Dispersion in NIR

This paper presents a method for gas concentration determination based on the measurement of the refractive index dispersion of a gas near the gas resonance in the near-infrared region (NIR). The gas refractive index dispersion line shape is reconstructed from the variation in the spectral interference fringes’ periods, which are generated by a low-finesse Fabry-Perot interferometer during the DFB diode’s linear-over-time optical frequency sweep around the gas resonance frequency. The entire sensing system was modeled and then verified experimentally, for an example of a low concentration methane-air mixture. We demonstrate experimentally a refractive index dispersion measurement resolution of 2 × 10⁻⁹ refractive index units (RIU), which corresponds to a change in methane concentration in air of 0.04 vol% at the resonant frequency of 181.285 THz (1653.7 nm). The experimental and modeling results show an excellent agreement. The presented system utilizes a very simple optical design and has good potential for the realization of cost-efficient gas sensors that can be operated remotely through standard telecom optical fibers.

Refractive index gas sensor based on the Tamm state in a one-dimensional photonic crystal: Theoretical optimisation

Gas sensors are important in many fields such as environmental monitoring, agricultural production, public safety, and medical diagnostics. Herein, Tamm plasmon resonance in a photonic bandgap is used to develop an optical gas sensor with high performance. The structure of the proposed sensor comprises a gas cavity sandwiched between a one-dimensional porous silicon photonic crystal and an Ag layer deposited on a prism. The optimised structure of the proposed sensor achieves ultra-high sensitivity (S = 1.9×105 nm/RIU) and a low detection limit (DL = 1.4×10-7 RIU) compared to the existing gas sensor. The brilliant sensing performance and simple design of the proposed structure make our device highly suitable for use as a sensor in a variety of biomedical and industrial applications.

Enabling selective absorption in perovskite solar cells for refractometric sensing of gases

Perovskite solar cells are currently considered a promising technology for solar energy harvesting. Their capability to deliver an electrical signal when illuminated can sense changes in environmental parameters. We have numerically analyzed the variation of the current delivered by a perovskite cell as a function of the index of refraction of air, that is in contact with the front surface of the cell. This calculation identifies which geometrical and material structures enhance this behavior. After replacing the top transparent electrode of a solar cell by an optimized subwavelength metallic grating, we find a large variation in the responsivity of the cell with respect to the change in the index of refraction of the surrounding medium. Such a refractometric sensor can be interrogated electronically, avoiding the cumbersome set-ups of spectral or angular interrogation methods. We present an adaptation of the performance parameters of refractometric sensors (sensitivity and figure of merit) to the case of opto-electronic interrogation methods. The values of sensitivity and Figure of Merit are promising for the development of refractometric perovskite-based sensors.

Design and analysis of refractive index sensors based on slotted photonic crystal nanobeam cavities with sidewall gratings

We propose and numerically investigate a refractive index sensor based on a one-dimensional slotted photonic crystal nanobeam cavity with sidewall gratings for refractive index sensing in a gaseous environment. By using the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method, we demonstrate that our proposed sensor simultaneously possesses a high quality factor of $ 3.71 \times {10^6} $3.71×10⁶ and a high sensitivity of 508 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) at the resonant wavelength near 1583 nm, yielding a detection limit as low as $ 1.97 \times {10^{ - 6}} $1.97×10^-6 RIU. Moreover, the mode volume of the cavity's fundamental resonant mode is found to be as small as $ 0.022(\lambda /n)^3 $0.022(λ/n)³, resulting in a very compact effective sensing area. We finally study and assess the effect of fabrication disorder on the performances of our proposed sensor. We believe our proposed sensor will be a promising candidate for applications not only in multiplexed biochemical sensing and multielement mixture detection, but also in optical trapping of single biomolecules or nanoparticles.

Micro-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on ring-core fiber

A micro-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI), with a thousands-µm-long ring-core fiber (RCF), is demonstrated, and its performance investigation is also implemented. In this paper, the proposed MZI is manufactured by ends-splicing the short RCF segment with single-mode fiber (SMF-28), respectively. The scheme of the MZI is a typically core-mismatch structure, which has the advantages of miniaturization and simplification. Due to the core mismatch between RCF and SMF, the light from the SMF can be well separated into ring core (RC) and silica center (SC) of the RCF at the first splicing point. After transmitting through the RC and SC, the two separated light beams encounter each other and interfere at the second splicing point. Different from conventional micro-fiber MZIs using SMFs or few-mode fibers, the RCF has a higher numerical aperture, which can generate a larger optical path-length difference with a short length fiber, accumulates a higher extinction ratio and suppresses the crosstalk between the core and cladding modes. Therefore, our proposed MZI is more stable and the best extinction ratios can reach up to 18.2 dB. Meanwhile, owing to the core structure of RCF (where SC is surrounded by high-index ring core), the power propagating through low-index area of RCF is mostly confined into SC (termed the silica-center modes). These characteristics would lead to the lower sensitivity to external disturbances.

Simultaneous measurement of refractive index and temperature with high sensitivity based on a multipath fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer

We present and experimentally demonstrate a highly sensitive sensor for simultaneously measuring the refractive index (RI) and temperature based on a multipath fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The sensor is fabricated by sandwiching a segment of weak-coupling seven-core fiber (SCF) with two short multimode fibers, and then splicing it with lead-in and lead-out single-mode fibers, respectively. Six outer cores of the SCF are half-etched chemically for enhancing the interaction between light and matter. A high-quality transmission spectrum with 23 dB fringe visibility is obtained. Due to the strong interaction between the outer core modes and cladding modes with the surrounding medium, the proposed fiber structure exhibits not only an extremely high RI sensitivity of -1802.26  nm/RI unit from 1.427 to 1.442, but also a superior temperature sensitivity of 82 pm/°C from 10°C to 90°C. Moreover, RI and temperature can be discriminated simultaneously by measuring the central wavelength shifts of two transmission notches. This sensor has outstanding advantages of high sensitivity, easy fabrication, simple structure, and low cost, and may find applications in multiparameter highly sensitive sensing.

A Miniature Fabry Perot Sensor for Twist/Rotation, Strain and Temperature Measurements Based on a Four-Core Fiber

In this article, a novel miniature Fabry-Perot twist/rotation sensor using a four core fiber and quadruple interferometer setup is presented and demonstrated. Detailed sensor modeling, analytical evaluation and test measurement assessment were conducted in this contribution. The sensor structure comprises a single lead-in multicore fiber, which has four eccentrically positioned cores, a special asymmetrical microstructure, and an inline semi-reflective mirror, all packed in a glass capillary housing. A four core fiber positioned in front of a special asymmetrical microstructure and the inline semi reflective mirror defines four Fabry-Perot interferometers. Rotation of the sensors' asymmetrical microstructure around the axis of the in-line four core fibers´ modulates the path lengths of all four interferometers simultaneously. Proper processing of path length changes of all four interferometers allows for unambiguous and temperature independent determination of the sensor's rotation angle.

Dual parameter fiber-integrated sensor for refractive index and temperature measurement based on Fabry-Perot micro-resonators

We report on a miniature all-fiber dual parameter sensor capable of simultaneous measurement of the refractive index (RI) and temperature of fluids and gases. The high-sensitivity sensing element is comprised of two Fabry-Perot (FP) micro-resonators fabricated in a single-mode fiber and has a total length of <100  μm. The RI sensing cavity is formed by diamond blade dicing, whereas a thinner silicon inlay glued into it serves as a temperature sensor. The sensor's performance was tested on sucrose solutions over a range of temperatures. For the evaluation of the backreflected FP spectra, phase tracking of the characteristic Fourier transform components was used. Good accuracy (0.01°C) and linearity of temperature measurement with Si inlay with sensitivity 0.097 rad/°C (85.2 pm/°C) were found, whereas the open cavity allowed for reliable temperature-compensated measurements of 10^-3 RI steps with 290 rad/RIU (1130 nm/RIU) sensitivity.

High-accuracy hybrid fiber-optic Fabry-Pérot sensor based on MEMS for simultaneous gas refractive-index and temperature sensing

We present a high-accuracy fiber-optic Fabry-Pérot (F-P) sensor capable of simultaneously measuring the temperature and gas refractive-index (RI). The sensor consists of a silicon F-P cavity for temperature sensing and a glass F-P cavity with a side groove for gas RI sensing. Two F-P cavities are simply fabricated and connected in series by microelectromechanical system (MEMS) techniques. The hybrid F-P sensor produces a superposition of signals. Changes in temperature and RI can be separated and detected by a fast Fourier transform (FFT) and the wavelength-tracing method. The experimental results demonstrate that the sensitivities of the proposed sensor are 80.7 pm/°C from 10 °C to 60 °C and over 1535.8 nm/RIU in the gas RI range of 1.0000248-1.0007681. Furthermore, the gas RI measurement reaches a high accuracy of ± 7.6 × 10^-6 RIU, owing to the temperature compensation. In addition, the measured precisions of the temperature and gas RI are 1.07 × 10^-3 °C and 2.73 × 10^-8 RIU, respectively.

Laser micromachining of periodic surface radius change on the optical fiber circumference

In this paper, we are showing that holes and marking spots with sizes that are comparable to the wavelength of a CO₂ laser at λ=10.6  μm can be achieved reproducibly on a conventional optical fiber SMF28 when it is positioned at the focal point. Some theory on Gaussian beam propagation is briefly reviewed and readily applied to drill a fiber on its axis near the focal point. As the fiber was moved from the focal point, it was found that some features, such as ridges along the fiber circumference, were also micromachined by the laser. It was demonstrated that the fabrication of surface nanoaxial photonic fibers, long-pitch grating fibers, and pump laser strippers can be envisaged on a conventional SMF28 with a cladding diameter of 125 μm.

Crystallization-sapphire-derived-fiber-based Fabry-Perot interferometer for refractive index and high-temperature measurement

A crystallization-sapphire-derived-fiber (CSDF)-based Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) for refractive index (RI) and high-temperature measurement is proposed and demonstrated. The FPI is formed by splicing sapphire-derived fiber (SDF) to the end face of a well-cleaved single-mode fiber (SMF). CSDF is generated hundreds of micrometers away from the fusion joint resulting from arc discharge and then cuts the SDF to the edge of the CSDF. The FPI consists of two cavities, one of which is formed by CSDF, and the other is SDF, between the SMF and CSDF. The fringe contrast of the reflection spectrum varying with the RI changes of the external environment is used for RI sensing, while the wavelength shifting is for the ambient temperature sensing. In the experiment, the refractive index and temperature sensitivities are about 233.8 dB/RIU in the RI range of 1.333-1.363 and 13.571 pm/°C in the temperature range of 20°C-1000°C.