Low-pressure and liquid level fiber-optic sensor based on polymeric Fabry-Perot cavity

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Polymer Science
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Accurate measurement of low-pressure and liquid levels is crucial in various industrial and scientific applications.
• Existing sensing technologies may face limitations in cost, sensitivity, or simultaneous measurement capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and experimentally validate a novel fiber-optic sensor for the simultaneous detection of low-pressure and liquid levels.
• To investigate the interaction between a Mylar® polymer film and a multimode fiber-optic for sensing applications.

Main Methods:

• Experimental setup utilizing a Mylar® polymer film coupled with a multimode fiber-optic.
• Analysis of interference spectrum characteristics (visibility, free spectral range).
• Finite element modeling to analyze polymer stress response and birefringence changes.

Main Results:

• The sensor achieved high sensitivities of 2.49 nm/kPa for pressure and 24.5 nm/m for liquid level.
• The polymer exhibited a linear stress response below its yielding point.
• The sensor demonstrated a quadratic polynomial fitting with an adjusted R-squared of 0.9539.

Conclusions:

• The proposed fiber-optic sensing setup offers a cost-effective solution for simultaneous low-pressure and liquid level detection.
• The Mylar® polymer film-based sensor shows promising performance characteristics for practical applications.
• Finite element analysis provided valuable insights into the sensor's operational mechanism and material behavior.