Influence of skew rays on the sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio of a fiber-optic surface-plasmon-resonance sensor: a theoretical study

We have theoretically analyzed the influence of skew rays on the performance of a fiber-optic sensor based on surface plasmon resonance. The performance of the sensor has been evaluated in terms of its sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The theoretical model for skewness dependence includes the material dispersion in fiber cores and metal layers, simultaneous excitation of skew rays, and meridional rays in the fiber core along with all guided rays launching from a collimated light source. The effect of skew rays on the SNR and the sensitivity of the sensor with two different metals has been compared. The same comparison is carried out for the different values of design parameters such as numerical aperture, fiber core diameter, and the length of the surface-plasmon-resonance (SPR) active sensing region. This detailed analysis for the effect of skewness on the SNR and the sensitivity of the sensor leads us to achieve the best possible performance from a fiber-optic SPR sensor against the skewness in the optical fiber.     

Surface-plasmon-resonance-based fiber-optic refractive index sensor: sensitivity enhancement

We have experimentally studied the surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based fiber-optic refractive index sensor incorporating a high-index dielectric layer using the wavelength interrogation method. Silver and gold have been used as SPR active metals followed by a high-index dielectric layer of silicon. Experimental results predict a redshift in the resonance wavelength with the increase in the refractive index of the sensing layer for a given thickness of the silicon layer. Further, as the thickness of the silicon layer increases, the sensitivity of the sensor increases. The upper limit of the silicon film thickness for the enhancement of the sensitivity has been found to be around 10 nm. The experimental results obtained on sensitivity match qualitatively with the theoretical results obtained using the N-layer model and the ray approach. The increase in sensitivity is due to the increase in the electric field intensity at the silicon-sensing-region interface. In addition to an increase in sensitivity, the silicon layer can be used to tune the resonance wavelength and can protect the metal layer from oxidation and hence can improve the durability of the probe.     

Fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance sensors in the near-infrared spectral region

The sensitivity of fiber-optic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors was improved by a factor of at least thirteen for aqueous solutions by modifying the tip geometry to allow interrogation of the surface plasmon (SP) band in the near-infrared (NIR) region. This was achieved by tuning the angle at the distal end of the SPR sensor to a dual taper of 71 degrees and 19 degrees . Using a low numerical aperture (NA) fiber-optic sensor, NA = 0.12, is necessary to obtain a functional SPR sensor working in the NIR region. Theoretical simulations using the Maxwell equations demonstrated that even higher enhancement is theoretically possible while maintaining a narrow spectral feature upon the excitation of the SP bands on gold surfaces. The manufacture of the SPR sensors yields good agreement between theoretical simulations and experimental observations. To investigate the properties of these fiber-optic SPR-NIR sensors, sucrose solutions ranging from 0 to 15 x 10(-3) in mole fraction were utilized. The increased sensitivity of the fiber-optic SPR sensors, when used to monitor biomarkers, would yield lower detection limits. The smaller sensing area, compared to planar or other fiber-optic SPR sensors, combined with an improvement of the sensitivity, would yield a dramatic reduction of the absolute amount detected by biosensors.     

Fiber-Optic Sensors Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance: A Comprehensive Review

Since the introduction of optical fiber technology in the field of sensor based on the technique of surface plasmon resonance (SPR), fiber-optic SPR sensors have witnessed a lot of advancements. This paper reports on the past, present, and future scope of fiber-optic SPR sensors in the field of sensing of different chemical, physical, and biochemical parameters. A detailed mechanism of the SPR technique for sensing purposes has been discussed. Different new techniques and models in this area that have been introduced are discussed in quite a detail. We have tried to put the different advancements in the order of their chronological evolution. The content of the review article may be of great importance for the research community who are to take the field of fiber-optic SPR sensors as its research endeavors.     

Brillouin-Based Distributed Temperature Sensor Employing Pulse Coding

A distributed temperature sensor based on spontaneous Brillouin scattering and employing optical pulse coding has been implemented and characterized using a direct-detection receiver. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) enhancement provided by coding is analyzed, along with the influence of coding in stimulated Brillouin threshold. Simplex-coding using 127 bit codeword provides up to 7 dB SNR improvement, allowing for temperature sensing over 21 km of dispersion shifted fiber with 3.1 K resolution and 40 m spatial resolution, permitting to avoid the use of optical pulse amplification.     

An Active Core Fiber-Optic Temperature Sensor Using an Eu(III)-Doped Sol-Gel Silica Fiber as a Temperature Indicator

An active core fiber-optic temperature sensor has been developed by using an Eu(III)-doped sol-gel silica fiber as a temperature indicator and has been tested for sensing temperature in the range from 80 degC to 500 degC. The fluorescence of Eu(III) doped inside the sol-gel silica fiber was excited with a simple LED with peak wavelength at 420 nm and the fluorescence intensity was recorded as a sensing signal. The fluorescence intensity decreases with the increase of temperature. In the temperature range from 140 degC to 300 degC, the attenuation of the fluorescence intensity of the fiber-optic sensor in decibel has a linear relationship with temperature     

Transduction mechanisms of the Fabry-Perot polymer film sensing concept for wideband ultrasound detection

The transduction mechanisms of a wideband (30 MHz) contact ultrasound sensor based upon the use of a thin polymer film acting as a Fabry-Perot interferometer have been investigated. Polyethylene terepthalate (PET) sensing elements, illuminated by the free-space collimated output of a wavelength-tunable DBR laser diode, have been used to study the sensor transfer function, sensitivity, the effect of water absorption, and frequency response characteristics. Acoustic performance was evaluated by comparing the sensor output with that of a calibrated PVDF membrane hydrophone using laser-generated acoustic transients as a source of broadband ultrasound. An ultrasonic acoustic phase sensitivity of 0.1 rad/MPa, a linear operating range to 5 MPa, and a noise-equivalent-pressure of 20 kPa over a 25 MHz measurement bandwidth were obtained using a water-backed 50 mum PET sensing film. A model of frequency response that incorporates the effect of an adhesive layer between the sensor film and backing material has been developed and validated for different sensing film thicknesses, backing configurations, and adhesive layer thicknesses.     

Optimization of absorption-based optical chemical sensors that employ a single-reflection configuration

An optimization strategy for a generic absorption-based optical chemical sensor that employs a single-reflection planar configuration is reported. A theoretical model describing the sensor sensitivity is presented and verified experimentally. It is shown that optimum sensitivity is not achieved with an evanescent-wave sensing technique but with a configuration in which the interrogating light propagates within the sensing layer. Moreover, an optimization strategy based on identification of an optimized reflection angle is described. This analysis provides an optimization strategy that is extendable to multimode waveguide platforms. The predictions of the model are used in the design of a prototype LED-based sensor system. The performance of this system is examined, and the results are compared with alternative absorption-based sensor configurations.     

Development of a polarimetric optical fiber sensor for electronicmeasurement of high pressure

The theoretical understanding of the principle of pressure-induced polarization coupling is discussed, and the improved construction, operation, and temperature desensitization of a high-pressure (up to 100 MPa) fiber-optic sensor in two configurations is described. The sensor exploits the effect of polarization coupling between two orthogonally polarized eigenmodes of a highly birefringent, polarization-preserving optical fiber which serves as the sensing element. An idea of temperature desensitization of the sensor output signal is demonstrated. The requirements for an electronic measurement system based on the sensor are discussed, including indentification of the parametric and functional specifications and constraints of such a system     

In situ evaluation of density, viscosity, and thickness of adsorbed soft layers by combined surface acoustic wave and surface plasmon resonance

We show the theoretical and experimental combination of acoustic and optical methods for the in situ quantitative evaluation of the density, the viscosity, and the thickness of soft layers adsorbed on chemically tailored metal surfaces. For the highest sensitivity and an operation in liquids, a Love mode surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor with a hydrophobized gold-coated sensing area is the acoustic method, while surface plasmon resonance (SPR) on the same gold surface as the optical method is monitored simultaneously in a single setup for the real-time and label-free measurement of the parameters of adsorbed soft layers, which means for layers with a predominant viscous behavior. A general mathematical modeling in equivalent viscoelastic transmission lines is presented to determine the correlation between experimental SAW signal shifts and the waveguide structure including the presence of the adsorbed layer and the supporting liquid from which it segregates. A methodology is presented to identify from SAW and SPR simulations the parameters representatives of the soft layer. During the absorption of a soft layer, thickness or viscosity changes are observed in the experimental ratio of the SAW signal attenuation to the SAW signal phase and are correlated with the theoretical model. As application example, the simulation method is applied to study the thermal behavior of physisorbed PNIPAAm, a polymer whose conformation is sensitive to temperature, under a cycling variation of temperature between 20 and 40 degrees C. Under the assumption of the bulk density and the bulk refractive index of PNIPAAm, thickness and viscosity of the film are obtained from simulations; the viscosity is correlated to the solvent content of the physisorbed layer.     

Evaluation of multi-layered graphene surface plasmon resonance-based transmission type fiber optic sensor

Graphene is a zero band-gap semi-metal with remarkable electromagnetic and mechanical characteristics. This study is the first ever attempt to use graphene in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor as replacement material for gold/silver. Graphene, comprised of a single atomic layer of carbon, is a purely two-dimensional material and it is an ideal candidate for use as a biosensor because of its high surface-to-volume ratio. This sensor is based on the resonance occasion of the surface plasmon wave (SPW) according to the dielectric constants of each metal film and detected material in gas or aqueous phase. Graphene in the SPR sensor is expected to enlarge the range of analyte to bio-aerosols based on the superior electromagnetic properties of graphene. In this study, a SPR-based fiber optic sensor coated with multi-layered graphene is described. The multi-layered graphene film synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on Ni substrate was transferred on the sensing region of an optical fiber. The graphene coated SPR sensor is used to analyze the interaction between structured DNA biotin and Streptavidin is analyzed. Transmitted light after passing through the sensing region is measured by a spectrometer and multimeter. As the light source, blue light which of 450 to 460 nm in wavelength was used. We observed the SPR phenomena in the sensor and show the contrary trends between bare fiber and graphene coated fiber. The fabricated graphene based fiber optic sensor shows excellent detection sensitivity of the interaction between structured DNA and Streptavidin.     

表面等离子共振氢敏传感器理论和模拟

提出了一种钯(Pd)膜氢敏感表面等离子共振传感器结构,该传感器以镀在棱镜端面的 Pd作为氢敏感膜。Pd 膜吸氢以后发生化学反应,生成的 PdHx使折射率发生变化,同时,它作为金属膜产生 SPW,当折射率变化时又在金属和介质表面产生表面等离子共振。利用 Fortran 语言程序进行了表面等离子共振氢敏传感器的 Pd 膜厚度和传感器灵敏度数值模拟。氢气浓度的变化引起折射率的变化,数值模拟表明,表面等离子共振氢敏传感器的灵敏度与 Pd 膜厚度有关,当 Pd膜的厚度在 10-30nm 时,氢气浓度在 1%-10%范围内具有较高的灵敏度。这种传感器结构将用于监测氢气作燃料的商用和军用机车的氢气泄漏。     

Theoretical investigation on the temperature characteristics of liquid-cladding micro/nanofiber Bragg grating

Based on the functions of the effective refractive index of fundamental mode in step-index fiber, a theoretical mode about the Bragg wavelength shift of micro/nanofiber Bragg grating (MNFBG) is presented. The numerical simulation results demonstrate, for a MNFBG with given radius, the Bragg wavelength shifts to short wavelength as ambient temperature increases, and the reason results from the effective index decreasing with the increase of ambient temperature. Moreover, with the reduction of fiber-core radius, as well as the increase of ambient index and its thermo-optic coefficient, the temperature sensitivity, linearity and linear response range of the temperature-dependent Bragg wavelength shift are improved obviously. Especially for a MNFBG with fiber radius smaller than 0.5?μm, the linearity of Bragg wavelength shifting with temperature will be close to the theoretical limit, and the temperature sensitivity is proportional to the thermo-optic coefficient of the ambient liquid. Compared with the temperature properties of conventional fiber Bragg grating (FBG), all the results will provide much theoretical guides for FBG applied in fiber sensing and communication.     

Analysis of temperature/pressure sensitivity of the resonant wavelength of long-period channel waveguide gratings

A theoretical study on the sensitivity of the resonant wavelength of long-period waveguide gratings (LPWGs) to temperature and pressure is reported. Starting with the phase-matching condition of the LPWG, general expressions for the temperature and pressure sensitivities are derived. The temperature sensitivity considers the thermo-optic and thermal expansion effects, and the pressure sensitivity takes into account the elasto-optic and elastic deformation effects of the materials involved, as well as the modal dispersion effect. Focusing on the extensively studied glass and polymer waveguides, the contributions of these effects to the temperature or pressure sensitivity were roughly evaluated and illustrated in the form of histograms in order to show the roles of these effects straightforwardly. The results show that a LPWG based on a polymer waveguide is preferred to that based on a glass waveguide for obtaining high temperature or pressure sensitivity. The temperature sensitivity is dominated by the modal dispersion effect and the difference between the thermo-optic coefficients of the waveguide and the cover layer materials, while the thermal expansion effects make only a minor contribution to the sensitivity for the cases of both glass and polymer waveguides. The pressure sensitivity is dominated by the modal dispersion effect and the difference between the elasto-optic coefficients of the channel waveguide and the cover layer materials. In particular, in the case of the polymer LPWG the elastic deformation effects of the waveguide and grating materials make a moderate contribution to the pressure sensitivity and cannot be ignored. The minor contributions from the thermal expansion effects or the elastic effects may play a role in designing a temperature- or a pressure-insensitive LPWG device. Finally, the possibility that the waveguide loss affects the LPWG temperature/pressure sensitivity is discussed.     

Kinetic behavior of polymer-coated long-period-grating fiber-optic sensors

A new method of analysis employing the time-dependent response of long-period-grating (LPG) fiber-optic sensors is introduced. The current kinetic approach allows analysis of the time-dependent wavelength shift of the sensor, in contrast to previous studies, in which the LPG sensing element has been operated in an equilibrium mode and modeled with Langmuir adsorption behavior. A detailed kinetic model presented is based on diffusion of the analyte through the outer protective membrane coating into the affinity coating, which is bound to the fiber cladding. A simpler phenomenological approach presented is based on measurement of the slope of the time-dependent response of the LPG sensor. We demonstrate the principles of the kinetic methods by employing a commercial Cu+2 sensor with a carboxymethylcellulose sensing element. The detailed mathematical model fits the time-dependent behavior well and provides a means of calibrating the concentration-dependent time response. In the current approach, copper concentrations below parts per 10(6) are reliably analyzed. The kinetic model allows early-time measurement for low concentrations of the analyte, where equilibration times are long. This kinetic model should be generally applicable to other affinity-coated LPG fiber-optic sensors.     

Fiber-optic temperature sensor based on interaction of temperature-dependent refractive index and absorption of germanium film

The interaction of a large temperature-dependent refractive index and a temperature-dependent absorption of semiconductor materials at 1550 nm can be used to build a very sensitive, film coated fiber-optic temperature probe. We developed a sensor model for the optical fiber-germanium film sensor. A temperature sensitivity of reflectivity change of 0.0012/°C, corresponding to 0.1°C considering a moderate signal processing system, over 100°C within the temperature regime of -20°C to 120°C, has been demonstrated by experimental tests of the novel sensor. The potential sensitivity and further applications of the sensor are discussed.     

Design and development of a temperature-compensated fiber optic polarimetric pressure sensor based on photonic crystal fiber at 1550 nm

Use of photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) in the field of sensing is relatively new. We propose the application of a PCF for pressure sensing. The fiber analyzed is a polarization-maintaining PCF that has negligible sensitivity to temperature, making it an ideal candidate for pressure sensing in harsh environments. On the basis of theoretical and experimental analysis, PCF is proposed to be applied as a temperature-compensated pressure sensor. Detailed theoretical analysis and the experiment carried out are described to show the concept of the sensor.     

干涉型光纤传感器的分集消偏振衰落技术的信号处理

对干涉型光纤传感器的分集检测消偏振衰落技术进行了理论分析，提出了将各路信号平方后相加的信号处理方式，使之能实现单元及阵列的实时消偏振衰落信号检测。通过理论计算，可以使干涉信号幅度波动小于4.7dB，并得出三路检偏是分集检测的最简取的结论，通过信号处理电路，能够在信噪比略有降低的情况下消除偏振衰落的影响，实现进一步光纤传感器的消偏振衰落，并设计了用于阵列的分集检测的实现方式。     

Indium oxide thin film based ammonia gas and ethanol vapour sensor

A sensor for ammonia gas and ethanol vapour has been fabricated using indium oxide thin film as sensing layer and indium tin oxide thin film encapsulated in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as a miniature heater. For the fabrication of miniature heater indium tin oxide thin film was grown on special high temperature corning glass substrate by flash evaporation method. Gold was deposited on the film using thermal evaporation technique under high vacuum. The film was then annealed at 700 K for an hour. The thermocouple attached on sensing surface measures the appropriate operating temperature. The thin film gas sensor for ammonia was operated at different concentrations in the temperature range 323–493 K. At 473 K the sensitivity of the sensor was found to be saturate. The detrimental effect of humidity on ammonia sensing is removed by intermittent periodic heating of the sensor at the two temperatures 323K and 448 K, respectively. The indium oxide ethanol vapour sensor operated at fixed concentration of 400 ppm in the temperature range 293–393 K. Above 373 K, the sensor conductance was found to be saturate. With various thicknesses from 150–300 nm of indium oxide sensor there was no variation in the sensitivity measurements of ethanol vapour. The block diagram of circuits for detecting the ammonia gas and ethanol vapour has been included in this paper.