In-line temperature-compensated vector magnetic field sensor with side-polished fiber

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Sensor Technology
• Materials Science
• Electromagnetism

Background:

• Accurate measurement of vector magnetic fields is crucial in various scientific and industrial applications.
• Existing sensors often face challenges with temperature sensitivity and complex fabrication.
• Developing integrated sensors for both magnetic fields and temperature is an ongoing research area.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and investigate a novel vector magnetic field sensor.
• To achieve temperature compensation within the magnetic field sensing system.
• To demonstrate a sensor with high sensitivity and ease of fabrication.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a multi-mode optical fiber sensor via side polishing.
• Coating the polished surface with magnetic fluid (MF) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).
• Utilizing the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect for sensing.

Main Results:

• The sensor successfully detected magnetic field strength and direction.
• Achieved magnetic field sensitivities of 1720 pm/mT (90° direction) and -710 pm/mT (0° direction).
• Demonstrated a temperature sensitivity of -2070 pm/°C, enabling temperature compensation.

Conclusions:

• The proposed SPR-based optical fiber sensor is effective for vector magnetic field measurement.
• The sensor exhibits high sensitivity and integrated temperature compensation.
• Its simple fabrication and dual-sensing capability make it attractive for practical applications.