Highly sensitive strain and bending sensor based on in-line fiber Mach–Zehnder interferometer in solid core large mode area photonic crystal fiber

• Published in: Optics communications Vol. 283; no. 10; pp. 2097 - 2101
• Main Authors: Shin, Woojin, Lee, Yeung Lak, Yu, Bong-Ahn, Noh, Young-Chul, Ahn, Tae Jung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 15-05-2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Bending; Detection; Devices; Exact sciences and technology; Fiber optics; Fibers; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); General equipment and techniques; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Mach-Zehnder interferometers; Mach–Zehnder Interferometer; Optical fiber device; Optical fiber sensor; Optics; Photonic crystal fiber; Photonic crystals; Physics; Sensors; Sensors (chemical, optical, electrical, movement, gas, etc.); remote sensing; Sensors, gyros; Strain; Photonic crystal fiber; Optical fiber device; Mach–Zehnder Interferometer; Optical fiber sensor; Optical fibers; Optical systems; Microstructured fiber; Experimental study; Fiber optic sensors; Mach-Zehnder Interferometer; Mach-Zehnder interferometers; Manufacturing processes; Strains; Optical sensors
• ISSN: 0030-4018; 1873-0310
• DOI: 10.1016/j.optcom.2010.01.008

We have proposed highly sensitive strain and bending sensor with very low temperature sensitivity based on in-line Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) in solid core large mode area photonic crystal fiber (PCF) and experimentally investigated its novel characteristics. The measured strain and bending sensitivities were −3
pm/με and 36
nm/m
−1, respectively. The proposed PCF–MZI shows negligible temperature sensitivity of ∼4.6
pm/°C over the wide temperature range from 25 to 325
°C, eliminating the effect of temperature in optical sensing applications. Furthermore, as the fabrication process of the proposed device does not require photo-inscription or complicate fabrication methods, the proposed device is cost effective and has a great potential to be applied in optical sensing systems.