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Self-Imaging Effect in Liquid-Filled Hollow-Core Capillary Waveguide for Sensing Applications
Yijian Huang1,2, Shuhui Liu1,3, Lichao Zhang1,3
1Guangdong and Hong Kong Joint Research Centre for Optical Fibre Sensors, College of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 28, 2019
Summary
A novel fiber-optic sensor using the self-imaging effect in a hollow-core capillary waveguide (HCCW) offers high sensitivity for sensing applications. Infiltrating the HCCW with liquids significantly enhances temperature and refractive index sensitivity.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Optical Sensing
- Waveguide Technology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Fiber-optic sensors are crucial for various monitoring applications.
- The self-imaging effect in optical waveguides offers unique sensing properties.
- Hollow-core capillary waveguides (HCCWs) provide a platform for functionalized sensing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize a high-sensitivity fiber-optic sensor.
- To investigate the self-imaging effect in HCCWs for sensing.
- To evaluate the performance of the sensor for temperature and refractive index (RI) measurements.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a fiber-optic sensor by splicing HCCW between single-mode fibers (SMFs).
- Investigation of the self-imaging phenomenon in HCCW with varying lengths and fusion parameters.
- Infiltration of the HCCW with index-matching liquids to modify sensing characteristics.
- Systematic measurement of temperature and RI responses of both filled and unfilled sensors.
Main Results:
- The infiltrated HCCW sensor demonstrated significantly enhanced temperature sensitivity (-0.49 nm/°C) compared to the unfilled sensor (9.8 pm/°C).
- Refractive index sensitivity reached 12,005 nm/RIU for the liquid-filled structure, slightly exceeding the unfilled sensor's 11,920 nm/RIU.
- The self-imaging effect in HCCW was successfully utilized for sensing applications.
Conclusions:
- The proposed fiber-optic sensor based on the self-imaging effect in HCCW exhibits high sensitivity and simple structure.
- Infiltration of the hollow core with liquids enhances the sensor's performance for temperature and RI sensing.
- The sensor offers a low-cost solution with potential applications in physical and chemical sensing.
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