Enhanced type IIA gratings for high-temperature operation

Ultra-high-temperature sensing using fiber grating sensor and demodulation method based on support vector regression optimized by a genetic algorithm

We propose an ultra-high-temperature sensing method using a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and demodulation technique based on support vector regression optimized by a genetic algorithm (GA-SVR). A type-I FBG inscribed by a femtosecond laser in a silica fiber was packaged with a tube and used as a temperature sensor. The external ambient temperature was retrieved from the transient FBG wavelength and its increase rate in reaching thermal equilibrium of the FBG with the external environment using GA-SVR. The temperature sensing in the range of 400 to 1000 °C was realized with an accuracy of 4.8 °C. The highest sensing temperature exceeded the FBG resisting temperature of 700 °C. The demodulation time was decreased to approximately 15 s, only 3.14% of the FBG sensor time constant. The proposed method could realize the external ambient temperature determination before the FBG temperature reached the thermal equilibrium state, which enables to attain a demodulation time shorter than the time constant of the FBG sensor and a sensing temperature higher than the FBG resisting temperature. This method could be potentially applied in temperature inspection of combustion and other fields.

FBG Spectrum Regeneration by Ni-Coating and High-Temperature Treatment

FBG sensors are used in many scientific and industrial fields for assessing the structural integrity of mechanical components and in very high (above 600 °C) or very low (cryogenic) temperature applications. The main concerns with the use of such sensors in applications involving extreme temperatures are related partly to the instability of the reflected spectrum, which tends to dissolve into the noise floor, and partly to the degradation of the mechanical properties of the optical fiber, which tends to worsen the inherent brittleness. All of this raises the need for a robust nickel protective coating to ensure the grating's integrity in high-temperature environments. In addition, the inherent brittleness of fiber-optic gratings leaves one to wonder whether it is possible to recover a broken, seemingly unusable sensor. In this way, a single-peak commercial FBG was intentionally broken in the middle of the grating length and re-spliced, inducing a strongly asymmetric chirped-like spectrum; then, a nickel coating was electrodeposited on its surface. The most important outcome achieved by this work is the regeneration of a highly distorted reflected spectrum through three thermal cycles performed from room temperature up to 500, 750, and 800 °C, respectively. After reaching a temperature of at least 700 °C, the spectrum, which has been drastically altered by splicing, becomes stable and restores its single peak shape. A further stabilization cycle carried out at 800 °C for 80 min led to an estimation of the stabilizing time of the new single-peak reflected spectrum.

Optical Fiber Sensors for High-Temperature Monitoring: A Review

High-temperature measurements above 1000 °C are critical in harsh environments such as aerospace, metallurgy, fossil fuel, and power production. Fiber-optic high-temperature sensors are gradually replacing traditional electronic sensors due to their small size, resistance to electromagnetic interference, remote detection, multiplexing, and distributed measurement advantages. This paper reviews the sensing principle, structural design, and temperature measurement performance of fiber-optic high-temperature sensors, as well as recent significant progress in the transition of sensing solutions from glass to crystal fiber. Finally, future prospects and challenges in developing fiber-optic high-temperature sensors are also discussed.

Resurgent regenerated fiber Bragg gratings and thermal annealing techniques for ultra-high temperature sensing beyond 1400°C

We report for the first time the resurgence of regenerated fiber Bragg gratings (RFBGs) useful for ultra-high temperature measurements exceeding 1400 °C. A detailed study of the dynamics associated with grating regeneration in six-hole microstructured optical fibers (SHMOFs) and single mode fibers (SMFs) was conducted. Rapid heating and rapid cooling techniques appeared to have a significant impact on the thermal sustainability of the RFBGs in both types of optical fibers reaching temperature regimes exceeding 1400 °C. The presence of air holes sheds new light in understanding the thermal response of RFBGs and the stresses associated with them, which governs the variation in the Bragg wavelength.

Fiber Bragg grating regeneration at 450°C for improved high temperature sensing

Type-I fiber Bragg gratings photo-inscribed in hydrogen-loaded B/Ge co-doped silica single-mode optical fibers have been regenerated efficiently at 450°C, which is the lowest temperature reported so far. The mechanical strength of the annealed fiber is preserved while ensuring temperature sensing of the regenerated gratings up to 900°C. Unlike low temperature cycles (≤600°C), an annealing process at higher temperatures revealed faster regeneration for strong gratings. Changes in grating strength were also measured before the regeneration cycle. These behaviors suggest the contribution of different mechanisms to the regeneration process with different relative dynamics.

Effect of two annealing processes on the thermal regeneration of fiber Bragg gratings in hydrogenated standard optical fibers

In this work, we demonstrate the thermal regeneration of fiber Bragg gratings written in the hydrogenated standard communication optical fibers by two annealing processes. The first annealing process is done at an intermediate temperature (500°C, 700°C, and 900°C) for a specific period of time before cooling down to room temperature. The second annealing is at 1000°C in which the thermal regeneration is attained. The experimental results show that the regenerated gratings that are preannealed at 700°C have charted a reflectivity larger than 65%. They have higher thermal stability compared to that of the standard annealing process. Meanwhile the difference in temperature sensitivity is very small. The temperature sensitivities of regenerated gratings, which have undergone only two annealing processes, are 16.1 pm/°C and 15.8 pm/°C, respectively.

Femtosecond FBG Written through the Coating for Sensing Applications

Type I fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) written through the coating of various off-the-shelf silica fibers with a femtosecond laser and the phase-mask technique are reported. Inscription through most of the common coating compositions (acrylate, silicone and polyimide) is reported as well as writing through the polyimide coating of various fiber cladding diameters, down to 50 µm. The long term annealing behavior of type I gratings written in a pure silica core fiber is also reported as well as a comparison of the mechanical resistance of type I and II FBG. The high mechanical resistance of the resulting type I FBG is shown to be useful for the fabrication of various distributed FBG arrays written using a single period phase-mask. The strain sensing response of such distributed arrays is also presented.

Annealing properties of fiber Bragg grating UV-inscribed in boron-germanium codoped fiber

In this work, we mainly focus on the investigation of the feasibility of production of high-temperature stable fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based on reduplicative alternate annealing and hydrogen loading. The experimental results also can demonstrate the significance of the presence of hydrogen to the thermal regeneration of FBGs. The gratings are characterized and variations are compared after each stage, including UV fabrication, annealing, and reduplicative hydrogen-preloaded annealing. In different stages, the spectral and annealing responses of FBG are, respectively, investigated, as temperature increases, the Bragg wavelength consistently shifts to longer wavelengths; nevertheless, the reflection variations are distinctly discrepant. After reduplicative alternate annealing and hydrogen loading, the thermal stability is tremendously improved, and a reborn, stable grating is formed.

An Improved Metal-Packaged Strain Sensor Based on A Regenerated Fiber Bragg Grating in Hydrogen-Loaded Boron-Germanium Co-Doped Photosensitive Fiber for High-Temperature Applications

Local strain measurements are considered as an effective method for structural health monitoring of high-temperature components, which require accurate, reliable and durable sensors. To develop strain sensors that can be used in higher temperature environments, an improved metal-packaged strain sensor based on a regenerated fiber Bragg grating (RFBG) fabricated in hydrogen (H₂)-loaded boron–germanium (B–Ge) co-doped photosensitive fiber is developed using the process of combining magnetron sputtering and electroplating, addressing the limitation of mechanical strength degradation of silica optical fibers after annealing at a high temperature for regeneration. The regeneration characteristics of the RFBGs and the strain characteristics of the sensor are evaluated. Numerical simulation of the sensor is conducted using a three-dimensional finite element model. Anomalous decay behavior of two regeneration regimes is observed for the FBGs written in H₂-loaded B–Ge co-doped fiber. The strain sensor exhibits good linearity, stability and repeatability when exposed to constant high temperatures of up to 540 °C. A satisfactory agreement is obtained between the experimental and numerical results in strain sensitivity. The results demonstrate that the improved metal-packaged strain sensors based on RFBGs in H₂-loaded B–Ge co-doped fiber provide great potential for high-temperature applications by addressing the issues of mechanical integrity and packaging.

Formation and Applications of the Secondary Fiber Bragg Grating

Being one of the most proven fiber optic devices, the fiber Bragg grating has developed continually to extend its applications, particularly in extreme environments. Accompanying the growth of Type-IIa Bragg gratings in some active fibers, a new resonance appears at the shorter wavelength. This new type of grating was named “secondary Bragg grating” (SBG). This paper describes the formation and applications of the SBGs. The formation of the SBG is attributed to the intracore Talbot-type-fringes as a result of multi-order diffractions of the inscribing beams. The SBG presents a variety of interesting characteristics, including dip merge, high-temperature resistance, distinct temperature response, and the strong higher-order harmonic reflection. These features enable its promising applications in fiber lasers and fiber sensing technology.

Thermally triggered fiber lasers based on secondary-type-In Bragg gratings

The secondary-type-In grating formed in a small-core photosensitivity active fiber is discovered and investigated. Due to the different grating types, the transmission dip of a secondary grating structure chases and integrates with the type-In grating structure as the temperature increases, which strengthens the reflectivity of the grating. By use of these secondary-type-In gratings as Bragg reflectors, a thermally activated distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) fiber laser is proposed, which can be potentially used in high-temperature alarms and sensors.

Negative-index gratings formed by femtosecond laser overexposure and thermal regeneration

We demonstrate a method for the preparation of negative-index fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs) using 800 nm femtosecond laser overexposure and thermal regeneration. A positive-index type I-IR FBG was first inscribed in H₂-free single-mode fibre using a femtosecond laser directed through a phase mask, and then a highly polarization dependant phase-shifted FBG (P-PSFBG) was fabricated from the type I-IR FBG by overexposure to the femtosecond laser. Subsequently, the P-PSFBG was thermally annealed at 800 °C for 12 hours. Grating regeneration was observed during thermal annealing, and a negative-index FBG was finally obtained with a high reflectivity of 99.22%, an ultra-low insertion loss of 0.08 dB, a blueshift of 0.83 nm in the Bragg wavelength, and an operating temperature of up to 1000 °C for more than 10 hours. Further annealing tests showed that the thermal stability of the negative-index FBG was lower than that of a type II-IR FBG, but much higher than that of a type I-IR FBG. Moreover, the formation of such a negative-index grating may result from thermally regenerated type IIA photosensitivity.

Type IIa Bragg grating based ultra-short DBR fiber laser with high temperature resistance

We report on the fabrication of a thermally resistant ultra-short distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) fiber laser based on the photo inscription of two wavelength-matched type IIa gratings in a thin-core Er-doped fiber. With continuous UV exposure, each Bragg reflector initially grows as a type I grating, followed by decay in strength, and then re-grows as a type IIa grating with enhanced thermal resistance. The DBR laser, with an entire length of 13 mm, can stably operate at 600°C with single longitude mode, which provides potential applications in high temperature environments.

Ultrahigh-Temperature Regeneration of Long Period Gratings (LPGs) in Boron-Codoped Germanosilicate Optical Fibre

The regeneration of UV-written long period gratings (LPG) in boron-codoped germanosilicate "W" fibre is demonstrated and studied. They survive temperatures over 1000 °C. Compared with regenerated FBGs fabricated in the same type of fibre, the evolution curves of LPGs during regeneration and post-annealing reveal even more detail of glass relaxation. Piece-wise temperature dependence is observed, indicating the onset of a phase transition of glass in the core and inner cladding at ~500 °C and ~250 °C, and the melting of inner cladding between 860 °C and 900 °C. An asymmetric spectral response with increasing and decreasing annealing temperature points to the complex process dependent material system response. Resonant wavelength tuning by adjusting the dwell temperature at which regeneration is undertaken is demonstrated, showing a shorter resonant wavelength and shorter time for stabilisation with higher dwell temperatures. All the regenerated LPGs are nearly strain-insensitive and cannot be tuned by applying loads during annealing as done for regenerated FBGs.

Type IIa Bragg gratings formed in microfibers

In this Letter, Type IIa Bragg gratings are inscribed into microfibers. The large germanium-doped core region of the multimode fiber provides the necessary photosensitivity to form a Type IIa grating when it is drawn down to the microscale. Reducing the diameter of the microfiber due to lower saturate modulation and the amplified tension-strain transformation effect can accelerate the formation of a Type IIa grating. This provides an efficient method for the fabrication of fiber gratings with 800°C temperature resistance.

Fast thermal regeneration of fiber Bragg gratings

In this Letter we report a fast thermal regeneration of Type I fiber Bragg gratings inscribed with a UV laser in up to four different optical fibers: hydrogenated standard fiber, hydrogenated highly Ge-doped fiber, hydrogenated photosensitive fiber, and nonhydrogenated fiber. The thermal treatment consists in directly introducing the optical fiber into a preheated oven. The preheat temperature depends on the type of fiber used and is high enough to erase the grating and regenerate it afterward. The best results are obtained with hydrogenated photosensitive fiber and highly Ge-doped fiber, whereas no satisfactory results were obtained with hydrogenated standard fiber and nonhydrogenated photosensitive fiber. A regenerated grating with only 1.6 dB of loss was obtained in 10 min, reducing the time needed by a factor of 5.7. By adjusting the temperature of the oven, regenerated gratings of 13.7 dB of loss in 31 s and 5.8 dB of loss in 3 min were obtained. The factors of improvement in time are 110.3 and 19, respectively.

Regeneration of fiber Bragg gratings under strain

The effect of strain on both the index modulation, Δn(mod), and average index, Δn, during grating regeneration within two types of fibers is studied. Significant tunability of the Bragg wavelength (λ(B)>48 nm) is observed during postannealing at or above the strain temperature of the glass. The main reason for the grating wavelength shift during annealing with load is the elongation of the fiber. As well, the observed Moiré interference cycling through regeneration indicates the presence of two gratings.

Bulk regeneration of optical fiber Bragg gratings

The reliability and reproducibility of regenerated gratings for mass production is assessed through simultaneous bulk regeneration of 10 gratings. The gratings are characterized and variations are compared after each stage of fabrication, including seed (room-temperature UV fabrication), regeneration (annealing at 850°C), and postannealing (annealing at 1100°C). In terms of Bragg wavelength (λ(B)), the seed grating variation lies within Δλ(B)=0.16 nm, the regenerated grating within Δλ(B)=0.41 nm, and the postannealed grating within Δλ(B)=1.42 nm. All the results are within reasonable error, indicating that mass production is feasible. The observable spread in parameters from seed to regenerated grating is clearly systematic. The postannealed spread arises from the small tension on the fiber during postannealing and can be explained by the softening of the glass when the strain temperature of silica is reached.

Fiber Bragg grating sensors for harsh environments

Because of their small size, passive nature, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and capability to directly measure physical parameters such as temperature and strain, fiber Bragg grating sensors have developed beyond a laboratory curiosity and are becoming a mainstream sensing technology. Recently, high temperature stable gratings based on regeneration techniques and femtosecond infrared laser processing have shown promise for use in extreme environments such as high temperature, pressure or ionizing radiation. Such gratings are ideally suited for energy production applications where there is a requirement for advanced energy system instrumentation and controls that are operable in harsh environments. This paper will present a review of some of the more recent developments.

Post-hydrogen-loaded draw tower fiber Bragg gratings and their thermal regeneration

The idea of Bragg gratings generated during the drawing process of a fiber dates back almost 20 years. The technical improvement of the draw tower grating (DTG) process today results in highly reliable and cost-effective Bragg gratings for versatile application in the optical fiber sensor market. Because of the single-pulse exposure of the fiber, the gratings behave typically like type I gratings with respect to their temperature stability. This means that such gratings only work up to temperatures of about 300 °C. To increase temperature stability, we combined DTG arrays with hydrogen postloading and a thermal regeneration process that enables their use in high-temperature environments. The regenerated draw tower gratings are demonstrated to be suitable for temperatures of more than 800 °C.

A study of regenerated gratings produced in germanosilicate fibers by high temperature annealing

In light of recent proposals linking structural change and stresses within regenerated gratings, the details of regeneration of a seed Type-I Bragg grating written in H2 loaded germanosilicate fiber annealed at high temperatures (~900°C) are systematically explored. In particular, the influence of the strength of the grating, the effect of GeO2 doping concentration and the annealing conditions on regeneration are studied. We show that the role of dopants such as Ge and F contribute nothing to the regeneration, consistent with previous results. Rather, they may potentially be detrimental. Strongest regenerated gratings with R ~35% from a 5mm seed grating could be obtained in fibres with the lowest GeO2 concentrations such as standard telecommunications-compatible grade fibre.

Thermal regeneration of fiber Bragg gratings in photosensitive fibers

We report about a thermal regeneration of fiber Bragg gratings written in photosensitive fibers with nanosecond laser pulses. We observe a regenerative process in a highly photosensitive fiber without hydrogen loading which indicates a secondary grating growth in an optical fiber by thermal activation. This process is more temperature stable than the commonly known gratings produced by color center modifications. The writing conditions of such new type of gratings are investigated and the temperature behavior of these regenerated fiber Bragg gratings is analyzed. The application possibilities are in the field of high temperature sensor systems by making use of the combination of good spectral shape of a Type I grating with a Type II like temperature stability.

Gratings in Structured Optical Fibres

Grating writing in structured optical fibres and their properties and applications are reviewed. To date, most gratings have been written in a straightforward manner into structured fibres containing a photosensitive germanosilicate step-index core. However, gratings have also been written directly into single material, structured silica fibres and into air-clad cores using two and higher-photon processes with both UV and near IR pulsed (nanosecond-femtosecond) light. Given the intrinsic-added functionality possible within a structured optical fibre, structured fibre gratings offer further capabilities for sensors, diagnostics, lasers, and devices.

Ultrahigh-temperature regenerated gratings in boron-codoped germanosilicate optical fiber using 193 nm

Regenerated gratings seeded by type I gratings in boron-codoped germanosilicate optical fiber written with 193 nm are shown to withstand temperatures beyond 1000 degrees C.