End Of Optical Fiber Research Articles

Dual-core optical fiber tweezers based on all-dielectric metasurface

A transverse multi-position optical fiber tweezer is designed and studied by integrating an all-dielectric metasurface on the end of the dual-core optical fiber. The emitted beams from two cores of the fiber deflect towards two opposite directions with the same deflection angle and converge to form interference fringes in the far field. The dependences of optical force characteristics on light deflection angle, size and refractive index of the nanoparticle are discussed. The calculated results show that the proposed fiber device can achieve multi-position optical trapping of nanoscale nanoparticles in far field. Compared with the metal-based metasurface, dielectric metasurface-based fiber tweezer has higher efficiency and stronger capturing force. Our research expands applications of all-dielectric metasurface to optical tweezers and provides new ideas on the emerging platform of fiber-based metasurface.

Cascade Edge Filter for Demodulation of Quasi-Distributed FBG Sensor

The realization of multiple demodulation sche- mes of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor is important for its engineering application. Here, we proposed a new edge filter that is formed by cascading dispersion compensation fiber (DCF) and no-core fiber (NCF) structure between two single-mode fibers (SMFs) for demodulation of quasi-distributed FBG sensor. The edge filter can be suitable for FBG with different center wavelengths by changing its structure parameters to achieve a wide range of FBG demodulation. In order to verify the performance of the edge filter, a demodulation system for quasi-distributed FBG sensor is successfully designed by introducing an optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR), the wavelength shift of FBG caused by the change of temperature and strain is converted into power change through the edge filter, so as to realize temperature and strain demodulation. In the experiment, two FBG sensors separated by 500 m were set at the end of a 3000-m optical fiber for temperature and strain monitoring. The results show that the temperature sensitivity is 0.23 dB/°C from 50 °C to 100 °C, and the strain sensitivity is 0.01658 dB/ <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \epsilon $ </tex-math></inline-formula> from 0 to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$669.6\,\mu \epsilon $ </tex-math></inline-formula> . The edge filter for FBG demodulation has the advantages of high sensitivity, adjustable structural parameters, low cost, and independent multipoint/multiparameter demodulation.

Wavefront Shaping-Assisted Forward-Viewing Photoacoustic Endomicroscopy Based on a Transparent Ultrasound Sensor

Photoacoustic endoscopy (PAE) can provide 3D functional, molecular and structural information of tissue deep inside the human body, and thus could be well suited for guiding minimally invasive procedures such as tumour biopsy and fetal surgery. One of the major challenges in the development of miniature PAE probes, in particular, forward-viewing PAE probes, is the integration of a sensitive and broadband ultrasound sensor with the light delivery and scanning system into a small footprint. In this work, we developed a forward-viewing PAE probe enabling optical-resolution microscopy imaging based on a transparent ultrasound sensor coated on the distal end of a multimode optical fibre. The transparent sensor comprised a transparent polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) thin film coated with indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes with a diameter of 2 mm. Excitation laser light was focused and raster-scanned across the facet of the probe tip through the multimode fibre and the PVDF-ITO thin film via wavefront shaping. The sensor had an optical transmission rate of 55–72% in the wavelength range of 400 to 800 nm, a centre frequency of 17.5 MHz and a −10 dB bandwidth of 25 MHz. Singular value decomposition was used to remove a prominent trigger-induced noise, which enabled imaging close to the probe tip with an optically defined lateral resolution of 2 µm. The performance of the imaging probe was demonstrated by obtaining high-fidelity photoacoustic microscopy images of carbon fibres. With further optimisation of the sensitivity, the probe promises to guide minimally invasive procedures by providing in situ, in vivo characterisation of tissue.

A Portable Optical Fiber Tip Facet LSPR Aptasensor for Detection of Fumonisin B1

Fumonisin B1 (FB1) is a mycotoxin that mainly contaminates food crops. To avoid the harmful effect of FB1 on the human body, it is necessary to establish a convenient, sensitive, and accurate FB1 detection method. In this study, an optical fiber tip facet biosensor based on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) that adapts to a general detection platform was developed. An optical fiber end face was assembled with –NH <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> , Au nanoparticles (AuNPs), and aptamer, and the fabricating parameters were optimized. The results showed that the optical fiber LSPR biosensor had a good linear relationship ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}^{\text {2}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> = 0.9817) between the logarithmic FB1 concentration and the LSPR peak shifts within the linear range of concentrations of 0.8–200.0 ng/mL and a low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.17 ng/mL, as well as selectivity, recovery rates (96.08%–112.23%), and repeatability relative standard deviation (RSD) of 3.37%. It was validated by corn. Therefore, it was feasible that a tip facet optical fiber LSPR biosensor could be used to detect FB1, with advantages of convenience, renewability, and low cost. It is easy to popularize and apply.

Compact fiber Fabry–Perot sensors filled with PNIPAM hydrogel for highly sensitive relative humidity measurement

A fiber-optic Fabry–Perot (FP) based relative humidity (RH) sensor was proposed and experimentally investigated by using Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel to connect two ends of single-mode optical fiber (SMF) to formulate a PNIPAM FP cavity. The water vapor will be absorbed by the PNIPAM hydrogel, which will alter both the refractive index (RI) and dimension of the PNIPAM FP cavity, resulting in the change of output resonance intensity in the reflective spectrum. The measure RH sensitivity is 1.634 nm/%RH within RH range from 45 to 75 % with good linearity of 0.9897 and excellent repeatability. The influence of PNIPAM hydrogel concentration on the RH sensitivity has been investigated - the higher the concentration of PNIPAM hydrogel, the higher the RH sensitivity of the sensor. The developed sensor can effectively monitor human respiratory with response and recovery time of 2.29 s and 1.90 s, respectively.

Integration of blue–green electroluminescence structure in mid-infrared hollow optical fiber for targeting invisible CO2 laser beam

Mid-infrared (IR) CO2 lasers have important applications in laser medicine and material processing. However, the CO2 laser beam is invisible to human eyes, it is not easy to accurately indicate the beam position in practical applications. In this work, we designed a PEDOT (Poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene))/ZnS: Cu/BaTiO3/Ag electroluminescence (EL) structure and integrated it at the output end of the mid-IR hollow optical fiber. The blue–green light can be output along with the CO2 laser beam in this EL structure integrated fiber, thus achieving the optical path indication and illumination of invisible laser beam. This work provides a possible guide for aiming the CO2 laser beam in the min-IR optical fiber.

Addressed Combined Fiber-Optic Sensors as Key Element of Multisensor Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Systems.

The design and usage of the addressed combined fiber-optic sensors (ACFOSs) and the multisensory control systems of the greenhouse gas concentration on their basis are investigated herein. The main development trend of the combined fiber-optic sensors (CFOSs), which consists of the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and the Fabry–Perot resonator (FPR), which are successively formed at the optical fiber end, is highlighted. The use of the addressed fiber Bragg structures (AFBSs) instead of the FBG in the CFOSs not only leads to the significant cheapening of the sensor system due to microwave photonics interrogating methods, but also increasing its metrological characteristics. The structural scheme of the multisensory gas concentration monitoring system is suggested. The suggested scheme allows detecting four types of greenhouse gases (CO2, NO2, CH4 and Ox) depending on the material and thickness of the polymer film, which is the FPR sensitive element. The usage of the Karhunen–Loève transform (KLT), which allows separating each component contribution to the reflected spectrum according to its efficiency, is proposed. In the future, this allows determining the gas concentration at the AFBS address frequencies. The estimations show that the ACFOS design in the multisensory system allows measuring the environment temperature in the range of −60…+300 °C with an accuracy of 0.1–0.01 °C, and the gas concentration in the range of 10…90% with an accuracy of 0.1–0.5%.

Ratiometric Optical Fiber Dissolved Oxygen Sensor Based on Fluorescence Quenching Principle.

In this study, a ratiometric optical fiber dissolved oxygen sensor based on dynamic quenching of fluorescence from a ruthenium complex is reported. Tris(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthrolin) ruthenium(II) dichloride complex (Ru(dpp)32+) is used as an oxygen-sensitive dye, and semiconductor nanomaterial CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) are used as a reference dye by mixing the two substances and coating it on the plastic optical fiber end to form a composite sensitive film. The linear relationship between the relative fluorescence intensity of the ruthenium complex and the oxygen concentration is described using the Stern–Volmer equation, and the ruthenium complex doping concentration in the sol-gel film is tuned. The sensor is tested in gaseous oxygen and aqueous solution. The experimental results indicate that the measurement of dissolved oxygen has a lower sensitivity in an aqueous environment than in a gaseous environment. This is due to the uneven distribution of oxygen in aqueous solution and the low solubility of oxygen in water, which results in a small contact area between the ruthenium complex and oxygen in solution, leading to a less-severe fluorescence quenching effect than that in gaseous oxygen. In detecting dissolved oxygen, the sensor has a good linear Stern–Volmer calibration plot from 0 to 18.25 mg/L, the linearity can reach 99.62%, and the sensitivity can reach 0.0310/[O2] unit. The salinity stability, repeatability, and temperature characteristics of the sensor are characterized. The dissolved oxygen sensor investigated in this research could be used in various marine monitoring and environmental protection applications.

A Security Detection Scheme Based on TTD for NG-PON2 Fiber Links

For improving the physical layer security of next generation passive optical network (NG-PON2), we propose a security detection scheme by detecting the terminal thermal distribution (TTD) at the optical fiber end face on the optical network unit (ONU), when the fiber link is tapped. The principle of the scheme is given that the thermal energy always exists in fiber links and the TTD at the optical fiber end face can be detected. When the link tapping occurs, the leaking light energy induced by bending converts into the thermal energy, which changes the TTD at the optical fiber end face on ONU of NG-PON2. The TTD models of core and cladding layers at the optical fiber end face owing to bending are built with the double cylindrical coordinate systems, based on the bending loss formula of optical fiber and thermodynamic coupling theory. Then, the simulations for the TTD models are carried out under the different conditions of input power, bending radius and distant of detected point from the center of optical fiber end face, respectively. The simulation results indicate three conditions above are the main factors affecting the TTD changes. Finally, we set up an experimental system in the lab, using a light-emitting diode at 1550nm, and a thermal microscope (Telops-FAST-IR). The experimental results show the TTD of core layer at the optical fiber (G.652D) end face changes 72.5% at the input power of 1dBm with the bending radius from 10mm to 5mm, and are consistent with the simulation ones.

Parabolic microlensed optical fiber for coupling efficiency improvement in single mode fiber

The efficiency of optical coupling between an optical fiber and other components be it a light source, a photodetector or another fiber, often depends on the performance of the focusing components. In optoelectronics, microlenses are generally incorporated at the end of optical fibers to ensure optimal coupling. These microlenses are primarily fabricated with a spherical profile easier to achieve, with a determined radius and at low production costs. However, these microlenses exhibit a relatively large waist due to intrinsic spherical aberrations making it difficult to couple light into single mode fibers. This paper presents the results of a study of a microlens having a parabolic profile that has been made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) at a single mode optical fiber (SMF 9/125) end terminal. The contribution of the parabolic profile as compared to spherical shaped one is analyzed. Estimates at the wavelengths of primary importance, λ =1.310 µm and λ =1.550 µm, have shown a decrease in the spot radius diagram in the focal plane by 3, from an root mean square (RMS) value of 0.623 µm in the spherical case to less than 0.229 µm in the parabolic case. The measured optical coupling has improved to 98.5% under optimal conditions (without taking into account the bulk absorption and the effects of Fresnel reflection). For different studied microlens curvatures’ radii, the obtained waist values vary from 1.00 to 4.90 µm with working distances from 5.80 to 48.80 µm, respectively.

Disordered mullite grains in a sapphire-derived fiber for high-temperature sensing.

In this study, a sapphire-derived fiber (SDF)-based Fabry-Pérot interferometer (FPI) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated as a high-temperature sensor using the arc discharge crystallization process, forming a region with disordered mullite grains. This shows that the disordered mullite grains are related to the gradual temperature distribution during the arc discharge process, which results in a larger refractive index (RI) modulation of the SDF near the fusing area, forming a reflection mirror. An FPI was obtained by combining the optical fiber end facet. Considering the high-temperature resistance of the fiber, the fabricated FPI was used for high-temperature sensing. This shows that the device can operate at temperatures of up to 1200°C with a sensitivity of 15.47 pm/°C, demonstrating that the proposed devices have potential applications in high-temperature environments.

All-Fiber Near-Field Optical Tweezer: Reducing Thermal Disturbance

Trapping nanoscale particles in a stable and non-destructive way is of great importance to life sciences. Near-field optical tweezers are a common way to trap nanoparticles. Here we propose and demonstrate an all-fiber near-field optical tweezer for trapping nanoparticles using a laser beam that has been totally reflected three times on a fiber tip with a double frustum structure. The light totally internally reflects on the optical fiber end-face and generates an evanescent field that traps the nanoparticles in water. Simulated results show that the evanescent field with high gradient distribution generating on the optical fiber end face leads to an insignificant temperature rise (0.0765 K). The experimental results demonstrate that all-fiber near-field optical tweezer allows us to trap fluorescent particles as small as 100 nanometers in diameter. The max temperature rise is 0.091 K. Compared with the plasmonic optical tweezers, the all-fiber optical tweezer reduces the thermal effect. The proposed all-fiber near-field optical tweezer plays an essential role in nanoscale optical trapping.

Dual-Parameter Sensing With a Single Supermode Interferometer

Optical fiber interferometers have intrinsic sensitivity to temperature, thus, in sensing applications; they need a reference temperature sensor or a mechanism to control the temperature. Here, we demonstrate that a single multicore fiber interferometer can monitor two parameters simultaneously; more particularly, refractive index, and temperature. The interferometer is easy to manufacture; a short segment of an optical fiber with seven coupled cores is fusion spliced at the distal end of a conventional single mode optical fiber. In the coupled-core fiber, two supermodes beat; this makes the reflection spectrum of the device to exhibit a well-defined series of maxima and minima. The refractive index of a sample in contact with multicore fiber alters the amplitude of the interference pattern and temperature induces a shift to such a pattern. The changes of the interference pattern are easy to monitor and decode with a low-resolution spectrometer. As an application of our dual-parameter sensor, the thermo-optic coefficient of a sample was measured.

Silicone Rubber Fabry-Perot Pressure Sensor Based on a Spherical Optical Fiber End Face.

To improve the fringe contrast and the sensitivity of Fabry-Perot (FP) pressure sensors, a silicone rubber FP pressure sensor based on a spherical optical fiber end face is proposed. The ratio of silicone rubber ingredients and the diameter and thickness of silicone rubber diaphragm were optimized by a simulation based on experimental tests that analyzed elastic parameters, and the influence of the radius of a spherical optical fiber and the initial cavity length of the sensor on the fringe contrast was investigated and optimized. Pressure sensor samples were fabricated for pressure test and temperature cross-influence test. Gas pressure experimental results within a pressure range of 0~40 kPa show the average sensitivity of the sensor is −154.56 nm/kPa and repeatability error is less than 0.71%. Long-term pressure experimental results show it has good repeatability and stability. Temperature experimental results show its temperature cross-sensitivity is 0.143 kPa/°C. The good performance of the proposed FP pressure sensor will expand its applications in biochemical applications, especially in human body pressure monitoring.

Fast Peak Searching Method for Brillouin Gain Spectrum Using Positive-Slope Inflection Point

A Fast peak searching method for Brillouin gain spectrum (BGS) using positive-slope inflection point is proposed. In this method, the positive-slope inflection point of Brillouin gain spectrum is used to terminate the frequency scanning (FS) progress adaptively and determine the Brillouin frequency shift (BFS). The number of frequency scanning points and data acquisition time is effectively reduced. The basic measurement principle, algorithm, and performance evaluation are presented. Based on experimental results over 9.91km-long optical fiber, the measurement time by conventional FS method is 50.13s, whereas it is only 15.62s by fast peak searching method. Under the same hardware, RMSE of measured BFS is 0.67MHz, which is nearly the same as the results obtained by conventional FS method. When the signal-to-noise ratio at the end of optical fiber (<i>SNR</i>_E) is within a reasonable range (i.e., <i>SNR</i>_E &gt; 2.4dB), the proposed method can effectively save processing time. The measurement speed of fast peak searching method is increased by about three times than that of conventional FS method, nearly without the loss of measurement accuracy.

Spontaneous boiling of submerged jets generated during the collapse of vapor bubbles

The effect of secondary spontaneous boiling of submerged jets formed during the collapse of vapor bubbles during the bulk boiling of water subcooled to the saturation temperature at the end of a laser optical fiber is experimentally discovered. Keywords: submerged jet, subcooled liquid boiling, laser.

Самопроизвольное (спонтанное) вскипание затопленных струй, генерируемых при коллапсе паровых пузырьков

The effect of secondary spontaneous boiling of submerged jets formed during the collapse of vapor bubbles during the bulk boiling of water subcooled to the saturation temperature at the end of a laser optical fiber is experimentally discovered.

Real-Time Optical Fiber End Surface Defects Detection Model Based on Lightweight Improved Network

Real-Time Optical Fiber End Surface Defects Detection Model Based on Lightweight Improved Network

Rapid fabrication of sub-micron scale functional optical microstructures on the optical fiber end faces by DMD-based lithography.

The rapid development of optical fiber application systems puts forward higher requirements for the miniaturization and integration of optical fiber devices. One promising solution is to integrate diffractive optical microstructures on the end faces of optical fibers. However, rapid microfabrication on such tiny and irregular substrates is a challenge. In recent years, Femtosecond laser polymerization technology has become an effective solution to the challenge, which can be flexibly applied for the fabrication of complex 3D microstructures with ultra-high resolution. When the demand for the lithography resolution is not very high, other microfabrication methods with a lower technical threshold may be developed for achieving a balance between fabrication precision, cost and efficiency. In this paper, we report a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) based lithography method dedicated to the fabrication of functional optical microstructures on the optical fiber end faces. Especially, it's also applicable to single-mode fibers (SMFs). By the projection via a 40x objective lens, the fabrication resolution of 0.405 μm was achieved within an exposure area of 209.92 μm × 157.44 μm. We evaluated the microfabrication results by the photomicrographs and the optical diffraction modulation effects of the functional optical microstructures. This method provides a new idea for fabricating both hybrid optical fiber devices and SMF devices, and it may be an alternative method for resolving the conflict between the precision, the cost and the efficiency.

The relative intensity noise of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser with a fiber Bragg grating external cavity

The research deals with the topical problem of stabilizing the optical parameters of a single-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser. A solution to the problem is proposed by forming an external cavity based on a Bragg grating induced into an optical polarization-maintaining fiber. In this experimental research, the authors estimated the contribution of an external cavity to the relative intensity noise of a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser. The stability of the laser generation with a varying phase of back reflections at various pump currents is investigated. The relative intensity noise of laser radiation in the pump current range of 1.1–6.3 mA is estimated using a photodetector with a bandwidth of 8.5 MHz. The phase change of the back reflections was carried out by shifting the optical fiber end with a 100 nm step. As a result of the research, it was obtained that the vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser with such an external cavity shows a stable emission in the current range of 1.8–3.2 mA. However, one can observe instability with constant switching between adjacent longitudinal modes outside this range. The most stable laser operation mode with an external cavity against a change in the phase of back reflections is registered at a pump current of 2.78 mA. Utilizing an external cavity with the fiber Bragg grating made it possible to reduce the relative intensity noise from 7.2∙10–10 1/Hz to 1.5∙10–11 1/Hz in the currents range 1.86–3.2 mA. The study can be useful in applications that require an optical radiation coherent source with a low relative intensity noise level (such as coherent optical communication or fiber-optic sensors).