Compact optical fiber whitelight interferometric distance sensor for arbitrary small distance measurement

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Fiber optics sensing
• Metrology

Background:

• Conventional Fabry-Perot cavities are limited in measuring very small distances.
• Existing fiber optic sensors may lack the sensitivity for arbitrary small displacement measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a compact optical fiber distance sensor capable of measuring arbitrary small distances.
• To enhance a conventional Fabry-Perot cavity with a polymer core for improved interferometric performance.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a microsized polymer core at the end of a single-mode optical fiber.
• Integration of the polymer core to create an additional reflective interface within a Fabry-Perot cavity.
• Utilizing Fourier transformation of the whitelight reflectance spectrum for distance demodulation.

Main Results:

• The modified Fabry-Perot cavity generates sufficient spectral fringes for accurate distance measurement.
• Arbitrary small distances can be reliably demodulated using the Fourier transformation technique.
• Experimental verification confirms the performance of the developed distance sensor.

Conclusions:

• The proposed optical fiber distance sensor effectively measures small distances with high precision.
• The microsized polymer core is a key component for enhancing Fabry-Perot interferometry.
• This technology offers a promising solution for applications requiring sensitive displacement detection.