High-temperature sensor based on suspended-core microstructured optical fiber.

Area of Science:

• Optical Fiber Sensors
• High-Temperature Metrology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Accurate high-temperature measurement is crucial in various industrial applications.
• Existing sensors often face limitations in harsh environments, such as high temperatures and corrosive conditions.
• Optical fiber sensors offer advantages like immunity to electromagnetic interference and remote sensing capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a novel high-temperature sensor.
• To utilize a suspended-core microstructured optical fiber (SCMF) for enhanced sensing performance.
• To investigate the sensor's response to temperature variations over a wide range.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a sensor by fusion splicing SCMF between multimode fibers (MMFs).
• Exploitation of multimode interference generated by air cladding and silica core modes within the SCMF.
• Application of Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) for filtering transmission spectra.
• Monitoring wavelength shift of the dominant spatial frequency in response to temperature changes.

Main Results:

• The sensor successfully operated in the temperature range of 50 °C to 800 °C.
• Achieved temperature sensitivities of 31.6 pm/°C (50 °C-450 °C) and 51.6 pm/°C (450 °C-800 °C).
• Demonstrated good stability, repeatability, and compact design.

Conclusions:

• The developed MMF-SCMF-MMF structure provides a cost-effective and robust solution for high-temperature sensing.
• The sensor's performance indicates significant applicable value in demanding environments.
• The proposed optical fiber sensor offers a promising alternative for high-temperature monitoring applications.