Optical fiber sensor based on Bloch surface wave in photonic crystals

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Optical Sensors
• Materials Science

Background:

• Bloch surface waves (BSWs) offer unique optical properties for sensing.
• One-dimensional photonic crystals (1DPCs) enable precise control of light propagation.
• Fiber optic sensors are crucial for remote and in-situ measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To theoretically propose a new optical fiber sensor based on Bloch surface wave.
• To design a 1DPC multilayer coating for enhanced sensor performance.
• To analyze the sensor's performance using a ray transmission model.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical proposal of an optical fiber sensor.
• Design of an omnidirectional 1DPC multilayer coating on an optical fiber.
• Analysis using a ray transmission model to evaluate sensor performance.

Main Results:

• The designed sensor exhibits surface mode resonance, avoiding guided mode resonance.
• The fiber sensor demonstrates comparable sensitivity to existing sensors.
• A significantly higher figure of merit and a resolution of approximately 10^-6 RIU were achieved.

Conclusions:

• The proposed Bloch surface wave optical fiber sensor shows excellent potential for high-resolution refractive index sensing.
• The 1DPC design effectively utilizes the omnidirectional reflection band for improved performance.
• This sensor design offers a promising alternative to current fiber optic sensing technologies.