Integrated compact optical current sensors with high sensitivity

Abstract

We demonstrate a Sagnac based fiber optic current sensor using only 10cm of terbium doped fiber with a high Verdet constant of 15.5 rad/Tm at a wavelength of 1300nm. Measurements of the fiber inside a solenoid show over 40dB of open loop dynamic range as well as a minimum detectable current of 0.1mA. In order to decrease size while increasing sensitivity even further, we consider integrated magneto-optic waveguides as the sensing element. Using silicon waveguides alongside magneto-optic material such as cerium doped yttrium iron garnet (Ce:YiG), we model the Verdet constant to be as high as 10,000 rad/Tm. This improvement by three orders of magnitude shows potential for magnetooptic waveguides to be used in ultra-high sensitivity optical magnetometers and current sensors. Finally, we propose a fully integrated optical current sensor using heterogeneous integration for silicon photonics.