Multi-layer, offset-coupled sapphire fiber Bragg gratings for high-temperature measurements

Integration of Bragg gratings in aerosol-jetted polymer optical waveguides for strain monitoring capabilities

We demonstrate and discuss the integration of Bragg gratings in aerosol-jetted polymer optical waveguides, produced in the optical assembly and connection technology for component-integrated bus systems (OPTAVER) process. By using a femtosecond laser and adaptive beam shaping, an elliptical focal voxel generates different types of single pulse modification by nonlinear absorption in the waveguide material, which are arranged periodically to form Bragg gratings. Integration of a single grating structure or, alternatively, an array of Bragg grating structures in the multimode waveguide yields a pronounced reflection signal with typical multimodal properties, i.e., a number of reflection peaks with non-Gaussian shapes. However, the main wavelength of reflection, located around 1555 nm, is evaluable by means of an appropriate smoothing algorithm. When loaded by mechanical bending, a pronounced Bragg wavelength shift of this reflected peak up to 160 pm is detected. This demonstrates that the additively manufactured waveguides can be used not only for signal transmission but also as a sensor.

Improved spectral demodulation algorithm with EEMDAD for sapphire fiber Fabry-Perot high-temperature sensing

In this paper, an improved spectral demodulation algorithm with the ensemble empirical mode decomposition average denoising is proposed to suppress order jumps in the sapphire fiber Fabry-Perot high-temperature sensing system. It is proven that the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensor is closely related to the severity of the demodulation jumps. The proposed algorithm can reduce the fluctuations of key parameters by reducing the noise in the spectrum, thus overcoming this obstacle. The simulations and experiment demonstrate that the algorithm can effectively eliminate the order jumps in both stable and variable temperature environments. The proposed algorithm solves the order jumping problem that has long plagued the demodulation of this system, improves demodulation accuracy, ensures the reliable operation of the high-temperature sensor, and exhibits excellent demodulation performance.

Point-by-point inscribed sapphire parallel fiber Bragg gratings in a fully multimode system for multiplexed high-temperature sensing

We study the point-by-point inscription of sapphire parallel fiber Bragg gratings (sapphire pFBGs) in a fully multimode system. A parallel FBG is shown to be critical in enabling detectable and reliable high-order grating signals. The impacts of modal volume, spatial coherence, and grating location on reflectivity are examined. Three cascaded seventh-order pFBGs are fabricated in one sapphire fiber for wavelength multiplexed temperature sensing. Using a low-cost, fully multimode 850-nm interrogator, reliable measurement up to 1500°C is demonstrated.

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.

Stabilized Ultra-High-Temperature Sensors Based on Inert Gas-Sealed Sapphire Fiber Bragg Gratings

In situ measurement of high temperature is critical in aerospace, petrochemical, metallurgical, and power industries. The single-crystal sapphire fiber is a promising material for high-temperature measurement owing to its high melting point of ∼2045 °C. Sapphire fiber Bragg gratings (SFBGs), which could be inscribed in sapphire fibers with a femtosecond laser, are widely used as high-temperature sensors. However, conventional SFBGs typically exhibit a significant deterioration in their spectra after long-term operation at ultra-high temperatures, resulting from the formation of some unwanted microstructural features, that is, lossy spots and micro-etched lines, on the surface of the sapphire fiber. Here, we report for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a thermally stabilized ultra-high-temperature sensor based on an SFBG created by femtosecond laser inscription, inert gas-sealed packaging, and gradient temperature-elevated annealing. The results indicate that the lossy spots are essentially aluminum hydroxide induced by high-temperature oxidation, and the inert gas-sealed packaging process can effectively insulate the sapphire fiber from the ambient air. Moreover, the formation of micro-etched lines was suppressed successfully by using the gradient temperature-elevated annealing process. As a result, the surface topography of the SFBG after operating at high temperatures was improved obviously. The long-term thermal stability of such an SFBG was greatly enhanced, showing a stable operation at 1600 °C for up to 20 h. In addition, it could withstand an even higher temperature of 1800 °C with a sensitivity of 41.2 pm/°C. The aforementioned results make it promising for high-temperature sensing in chemical, aviation, smelting, and power industries.

Femtosecond laser inscribed helical sapphire fiber Bragg gratings

This Letter reports a novel helical sapphire fiber Bragg grating (HSFBG) in a single crystal sapphire fiber with diameter of 60 µm fabricated by a 515 nm femtosecond laser. Due to the large refractive index modulation region and high structural symmetry of the HSFBGs, high-reflectivity and high-quality spectra can be prepared and additionally have good bending resistance. The spectral properties of HSFBGs with different helical diameters are studied. When the helical diameter is 30 µm, the reflectivity of HSFBG is 40%, the full width at half-maximum is 1.56 nm, and the signal-to-noise ratio is 16 dB. For the HSFBG bending test, the minimum bending radius is 5 mm, which can still maintain relatively good spectral quality. In addition, the HSFBG array with different periods has been successfully cascaded in a sapphire fiber. The experimental results of the HSFBG high-temperature test show that this HSFBG can work reliably at 1600°C, and the temperature sensitivity in the high-temperature range can reach 35.55 pm/°C. This HSFBG can be used in high-temperature and harsh environments, such as metal smelting and aeroengine structural health monitoring.

Sapphire-Derived Fiber Bragg Gratings for High Temperature Sensing

In this paper, a sapphire-derived fiber (SDF) with a core diameter of 10 μm and a cladding diameter of 125 μm is fabricated by the melt-in-tube method, and fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) with reflectivity over 80% are prepared by the femtosecond laser point-by-point direct writing method. By analyzing the refractive index distribution and reflection spectral characteristics of the SDF, it can be seen that the SDF is a graded refractive index few-mode fiber. In order to study the element composition of the SDF core, the end-face element distribution of the SDF is analyzed, which indicates that element diffusion occurred between the core and the cladding materials. The temperature and stress of the SDF gratings are measured and the highest temperature is tested to 1000 °C. The temperature and strain sensitivities are 15.64 pm/°C and 1.33 pm/με, respectively, which are higher than the temperature sensitivity of the quartz single-mode fiber. As a kind of special fiber, the SDF expands the application range of sapphire fiber, and has important applications in the fields of high-temperature sensing and high-power lasers.

Efficient point-by-point Bragg grating inscription in sapphire fiber using femtosecond laser filaments

Sapphire fiber Bragg gratings (SFBGs) inscribed by using femtosecond laser point-by-point (PbP) technology typically have an extremely low reflectivity due to the limited cross-sectional area of refractive index modulations (RIMs) created in sapphire fiber. Hence, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a filamentation process for fabricating PbP SFBGs. This approach provides an efficient method for producing SFBGs at various Bragg wavelengths with a higher reflectivity, since the filament tracks could enlarge the cross-sectional area of RIMs. The influences of the pulse energy and the focal depth on the generation and morphology of the filament tracks were studied, and after optimizing these parameters, high-quality filament tracks with a length of 90 µm and a width of 1.4 µm were produced into sapphire fiber with a diameter of 100 µm. These filament tracks were precisely assembled in sapphire fiber, generating an SFBG with a reflectivity of 2.3%. The total fabrication time for this SFBG only requires ${\sim}{1.1}\;{\rm s}$. Subsequently, a wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) SFBG array consisting of five SFBGs was efficiently constructed. Moreover, the high-temperature response of the SFBG array was investigated and the experimental results showed that the SFBG array can withstand a high temperature of 1600°C. Such a WDM SFBG array could serve as quasi-distributed high-temperature sensor which will be promising in many areas, i.e., metallurgical, chemical, and aviation industries.