Fiber-optic Fabry-Perot Interferometer Research Articles

Multiplexing and passive demodulation of intrinsic low-finesse Fabry-Perot interferometers using free-running DFB diode lasers

This paper presents a novel and simple technique for passive quadrature demodulation of multiplexed low-finesse fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometers. The approach proposed here uses two quadrature channels with very close wavelengths generated by two thermostabilized DFB diode lasers operating in continuous-wave mode. A coherent light correlation technique was used to demultiplex the wavelength channels and signals from interferometers at different positions along the fiber. The proposed technique does not require optical filters for spectral channel demultiplexing, making it suitable for demodulating relatively long interferometers with any free spectral range. An in-line array of four identical 13.1 cm long interferometers was used to demonstrate the method's performance. Experimental results demonstrate a phase resolution of 1.38 phase degrees, corresponding to a temperature resolution of 3 × 10−3 °C. Numerical simulations indicate that the main factor limiting the length of the sensing interferometer, and thus the resolution of the system, is the wavelength variation of the temperature-stabilized, independently operating lasers. The number of spectral channels can be easily extended to realize three or four-wavelength demodulation schemes.

Temperature-compensated high strain measurement based on a Fabry–Perot interferometer with the virtual-assisted Vernier effect

A highly sensitive optical fiber Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) for strain measurement with temperature compensation is proposed. Instead of using another actual reference interferometer, a virtual FPI is constructed to superpose with the sensing FPI to form the Vernier effect. The fundamental and the first-order harmonic Vernier effect are generated to increase the sensitivity by adjusting the parameter of the virtual FPI. In order to separate the strain from the environment temperature, an FBG is cascaded to distinguish the applied temperature. Experimental results demonstrate that, with the help of the fundamental Vernier effect, the sensitivity and temperature of the FPI increases from 1.05 pm/°C to 10.63 pm/°C in the temperature range of 40-120°C, and the sensitivity of strain increases from 2.635 pm/µε to 33.11 pm/µε in the strain range of 0-400 µε. In order to access the tracking points more easily and further enhance the sensitivities, the first-order harmonic Vernier effect is generated by modifying the virtual FPI. Results show that the temperature and strain sensitivities are 21.25 pm/°C and 62.25 pm/µε, respectively. In addition, with the help of the FBG, the strain can be separated from the temperature by solving the cross-sensitivity matrix.

Label-free and selective heparin detection by surface functionalized fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer biosensor

Heparin (Hep) is the most commonly used anticoagulant drug in clinical settings, and precise dosage control is crucial. To enable rapid and accurate quantification of Hep concentration in clinical practice, a label-free and selective fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometric (FPI) biosensor detection method based on graphene oxide (GO) was proposed. This method utilizes protamine (PRTM) sulfate as the modified layer and achieves Hep detection through layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly. In this study, we developed a label-free and selective fiber optic FPI biosensor for the detection of Hep using GO. The GO on the surface layer of the fiber optic FPI biosensor was treated with specific functionalization, it enables specific interaction with Hep. The binding of Hep to the functionalized surface induces a change in the luminal light signal, which can be monitored within the cavity for rapid and accurate detection of Hep. The results demonstrate that this biosensor exhibits good sensitivity, with a value of 10.82 nm/mM in the low-concentration control group, and an average limit of detection (LOD) calculated as 31μg/mL in the low-concentration group. This study presents a label-free, selective and efficient method for biomedical science testing that holds great potential for widespread application in clinical medicine.

Highly sensitive optical fiber pressure sensor based on the FPI and Vernier effect via femtosecond laser plane-by-plane writing technology.

In this paper, a highly sensitive pressure sensor based on fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPIs) and the Vernier effect (VE) is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. We employ a closed capillary-based F P I s for the sensing cavity, and an F P I r created through femtosecond laser refractive index modulation for the reference cavity, which remains impervious to pressure changes. Connecting these two FPIs in series produces a VE-based cascaded sensor with a clear spectral envelope. The femtosecond laser micromachining technique provides precise control over the length of F P I r and facilitates adjustments to the VE's amplification degree. Experimental results reveal significant pressure sensitivities of -795.96p m/M P a and -3219.91p m/M P a, respectively, representing a 20-fold and 80-fold improvement compared to F P I s (-39.80p m/M P a). This type of sensor has good sensitivity amplification and, due to its all-fiber structure, can be a promising candidate for high-temperature and high-pressure sensing, especially in harsh environments.

Miniature Optical Fiber Fabry-Perot Interferometer Based on a Single-Crystal Metal-Organic Framework for the Detection and Quantification of Benzene and Ethanol at Low Concentrations in Nitrogen Gas.

This study reports for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a real-time detection of ultralow-concentration chemical gases using fiber-optic technology, combining a miniaturized Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The sensor consists of a short and thick-walled silica capillary segment spliced to a lead-in single-mode fiber (SMF), housing a tiny single crystal of HKUST-1 MOF, imparting chemoselectivity features. Ethanol and benzene gases were tested, resulting in a shift in the FPI interference signal. The sensor demonstrated high sensitivity, detecting ethanol gas concentrations (EGCs) with a sensitivity of 0.428 nm/ppm between 24.9 and 40.11 ppm and benzene gas concentrations (BGCs) with a sensitivity of 0.15 nm/ppm between 99 and 124 ppm. The selectivity study involved a combination of three ultralow concentrations of ethanol, benzene, and toluene gases, revealing an enhancement factor of 436% for benzene and 140% for toluene, attributed to the improved miscibility of these conjugated ring molecules with the alkane chains of the ethanol-modified HKUST-1. Experimental tests confirmed the sensor's viability, demonstrating significantly improved response time and spectral characteristics through crystal polishing, indicating its potential for quantifying and detecting chemical gases at ultralow concentrations. This technology may prevent energy resource losses, and the sensor's small size and robust construction make it applicable in confined and hazardous locations.

Ultrasensitive Hydrogen Sensor with Vernier Effect by Dual Parallel Structured Fiber-Optic Fabry-Perot Interferometers

Ultrasensitive Hydrogen Sensor with Vernier Effect by Dual Parallel Structured Fiber-Optic Fabry-Perot Interferometers

Fast-Response Fiber-Optic FPI Temperature Sensing System Based on Modulated Grating Y-Branch Tunable Laser

In this paper, a cost-effective and miniaturized instrument is proposed, which is based on a tunable modulated grating Y-branch (MG-Y) laser for rapid temperature measurement using a Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) sensor. The FPI sensor with a 1 463-µm cavity length is a short segment of a capillary tube sandwiched by two sections of single-mode fibers (SMFs). This system has a broad tunable range (1 527 nm–1 567 nm) with a wavelength interval of 8 pm and a tuning rate of 100 Hz. Temperature sensing experiments are carried out to investigate the performance of the system by demodulating the absolute cavity length of the FPI sensor using a cross-correlation algorithm. Experimental results show that the sensor can reach the response time as short as 94 ms with the sensitivity of 802 pm/°C. Benefiting from the homemade and integrated essential electrical circuits, the entire system has the small size, low cost, and practical application potential to be used in the harsh environment for rapid temperature measurement.

A controllable humidity sensitivity measurement solution based on a pure FPI fiber tip and the harmonic Vernier effect

Hygroscopic films used to enhance the humidity sensitivity of fiber-optic sensors often experience material aging and nonlinear response issues. To address this issue, this study proposes a controllable humidity sensitivity measurement solution that offers a simple and cost-effective fabrication process without requiring humidity-sensitive material sensitization. The solution is based on a Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) fiber tip and the harmonic Vernier effect. By employing a cascade structure of single-mode fiber (SMF)-hollow core fiber (HCF)-no core fiber (NCF) with fiber grinding techniques, the FPI-based fiber sensing probe constructed a resonance cavity to detect small variations in air refractive index (RI) induced by humidity. A reference spectrum, which can flexibly control parameters, such as free spectral range (FSR), contrast, phase, and intensity, is superimposed onto the sensing spectrum acquired by the FPI fiber sensing tip. By extracting features from the internal envelope generated by the harmonic Vernier effect, the mapping relationship between the center wavelength of the inner envelope and the humidity is determined. The harmonic Vernier effect amplifies the humidity sensitivity of the fiber-optic FPI sensing tip, with the magnification factor determined by the optical path length (OPL) detuning of the created reference and sensing spectra. For the harmonic order j = 4, a humidity sensitivity of approximately 76.01 pm/% RH@ 24 ℃ was achieved without using hygroscopic material sensitization. The proposed solution offers numerous advantages and enables high-precision and high environmental reliability humidity monitoring.

Liquid crystal-embedded fiber optic fabry perot temperature sensor based on Vernier effect

An optical temperature sensing method with ultra-high sensitivity and a wide measurement range is proposed. The performance enhancements come from the high thermos-optical coefficient of liquid crystal (LC) material, and the Vernier effect produced by LC birefringence characteristics. This paper proposes and demonstrates a method to enhance the measurement range of the LC temperature sensor. A miniature LC temperature sensor was made by using an optical fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI). To compensate for and attenuation of LC and improve the contrast of the FPI, silver films are coated on one end of the optical fiber. Due to the high birefringence of the LC in the interferometer, a Vernier spectrum can be observed in the reflection. The temperature measurement range of 20–32 °C and the temperature sensitivity of the Vernier peaks of a sensor sample is about 42.18 nm/°C, which is much higher than the sensitivity of the cascaded FBG in structure. The limited measurement range is due to the free spectral range (FSR) limitation. In this context, the FBG peak can be used as a temperature reference while switching the adjacent Vernier peaks. Hence, this LC temperature sensor exhibits high sensitivity as well as a wide measuring range, which would broaden the application scope of the LC temperature sensors.

Versatile Optofluidic Fabry-Perot Sensor for Multiple Physical Parameters in Microfluidic Chips

An optofluidic sensor, which is composed of a fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) and a microfluidic chip, is experimentally demonstrated to measure aerostatic pressure, local temperature, and fluidic flow rate in microfluidic chips. The aerostatic pressure sensitivity is as high as −2393.3 nm/Bar. By demodulating the aerostatic pressure and temperature with a sensitivity matrix, both the physical parameters can be predicted simultaneously. The noise-equivalent detection limit (NEDL) of aerostatic pressure is as low as 48.4 μBar. In addition, the experiment results show that the fluidic flow rate sensitivity is −1.8574 nm/(μl/min) and the NEDL of fluidic flow rate is 97.1 nl/min, respectively. The miniature optofluidic sensor based on the optical fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer provides a promising cost-effective sensing platform for monitoring multiple physical parameters in the microfluidic chips, which is of great significance for on-chip biochemical reactions.

Novel microspherical fiber Fabry–Pérot interferometer based on the Vernier effect for micro-displacement sensing

A novel optical fiber Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) based on the Vernier effect is proposed for micro-displacement sensing. The sensor is composed of an optical fiber microsphere and a section of multimode optical fiber with a flat end surface. The air cavity in the middle is used as the Fabry–Perot cavity. The extinction ratio of the reflection spectrum is significantly improved by the optical fiber microsphere, and the extinction ratio is ∼12 dB. First, a single FPI is tested for micro-displacement. A sensitivity of 2.13 nm/µm and linearity of 99.31% are obtained within the range of 0–1.872 µm via phase demodulation. The fabricated optical fiber FPI is used as the sensing arm and cascaded with the designed analog reference arm. The micro-displacement sensitivity of the sensing arm can be improved to 28.92 nm/µm through the Vernier effect, i.e., 13.58 times that of a single FPI. The fabricated sensor exhibits the characteristics of high sensitivity, contrast, and linearity; a compact structure; and low cost. It can be used for micro-displacement detection. In addition, the analog reference arm is unaffected by the environment, and it can freely adjust sensitivity magnification. Accordingly, it is applicable to micro-displacement detection scenarios under different sensitivity requirements.

Highly sensitive Fabry-Perot acoustic sensor based on optic fiber spherical end surface

This paper presents and experimentally validates a highly sensitive fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometer sound sensor based on a fiber-optic spherical structure. The Fabry-Perot interferometer comprises an aluminum foil diaphragm and a fused fiber-optic microsphere end face, both sealed in a structure made of a glass tube. An optical fiber microsphere structure is used for the first time in acoustic sensing. Based on the strong focusing capability of the microsphere, the high coupling efficiency to the reflected beam, and the extensive range of the focused convergent optical field formed, the focused convergent optical fields facilitate the sensing of an extensive range of motion or deformation of the cavity compared to the divergent optical field of a flat fiber end face, i.e., the acoustic signals at more minor sound pressures can also be well sensed, thus compared to a flat fiber end face fiber The acoustic sensor can monitor acoustic signals over a more extensive frequency range and a larger range of acoustic pressure variations, and the output voltage signal is of a larger amplitude at the same acoustic signal, which allows the monitoring of acoustic signals at acoustic frequencies within the hearing range of the human ear. Experimental results show that the sensor shows a flat frequency response in the range of 20 Hz–20 kHz, covering all frequency components of the human ear hearing range, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the proposed acoustic sensor in the range of 20 Hz–20 kHz is greater than that of the flat fiber end-surface based acoustic sensor and the reference electroacoustic sensor, especially The sensor has the advantages of good high sensitivity, excellent linearity, wide planar response range, and simple manufacturing process. It can potentially be used as a highly sensitive, high acoustic quality fiber optic microphone in practical applications.

Polymer transduction cavity based optical fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer for VOC sensing

Frequent exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOC) above the permissible limit can result in adverse health effects. Therefore, VOC detection and monitoring at trace levels are essential in both indoor and outdoor environments. A highly sensitive and accurate method is desired for this purpose and optical interferometry is a sensitive measurement technique useful for trace-level VOC sensing. We have fabricated and experimentally studied the sensing properties of the optical fiber Fabry–Perot interferometer polymer sensor cast on the fiber tip for acetone detection. Polystyrene, deposited at the end facet of the fiber act as the FP cavity. A significant shift in the interference pattern resonant dip positions is observed in the interaction of the FP cavity with acetone vapor due to changes in the properties of the polymer resulting in physical thickness variation and a change in refractive index. Emphasis has been put on studying the sensor performance over multiple measurement cycles to affirm the reproducibility of the results for repeated usage instead of one-time disposable measurements. Excellent repeatable sensing performance with a sensitivity of 5.78 pm/ppm is observed for 09 data sets recorded over 09 days consisting of 190 individual experimental studies.

Development and sensing performance study of a smart CFRP cable assembled by multi-group anchorage units

ABSTRACT Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) can be applied for bridge cables due to its excellent properties. As the important load-bearing structural component, real-time force monitoring of the CFRP cable is required. This paper presents a new smart CFRP cable that combines the self-sensing rods with embedded sensors and the anchorage system using extrusion technology. By embedding optical fiber (OF) and coaxial cable Fabry-Perot interferometer (CCFPI) into CFRP rods respectively, two types of self-sensing rods (CFRP-OF rod and CFRP-CCFPI rod) were fabricated. A new anchorage unit using an extrusion process was proposed as a basic component of smart CFRP cables. Anchorage units holding a CFRP-OF rod and a CFRP-CCFPI rod were tested to obtain their sensing and mechanical properties. Three anchorage units were assembled to form a smart CFRP cable with self-sensing functionality. A verification test was carried out to confirm the capability of monitoring the cable force. The test results demonstrate that the smart CFRP cable composed of multiple anchorage units has good potential in bridge engineering.

Miniaturized High-Sensitivity Temperature Sensor Based on Cascaded Fiber-Optic FPI

In letter, a cascaded fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometers temperature sensor with high-sensitivity and small-dimension is proposed and demonstrated. The sensor is fabricated by filling the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and air between two single-mode fiber end-faces located in a section of silica capillary, thus a PDMS-based glue cavity, an air cavity and combined PDMS-air cavity are constructed. Due to the similar optical length between PDMS glue cavity and PDMS-air cavity, the conditions for Vernier effect can be easily satisfied in the sensor fabrication. The temperature sensitivity of proposed sensor is effectively improved in experiment. The research results show that the sensitivity of sensor is enhanced from 2.62 nm/°C to 23.22 nm/°C, which is about 8.86 times than that of the single PDMS-based glue cavity, and the linearity of temperature-dependent wavelength shifts is superior to 0.99 in temperature range of 32~50 °C. The sensor has advantages of high sensitivity, simplicity and easy to fabrication, and the small-dimension merit make it more suitable for point-temperature measurement.

Advances in Fiber-Optic Extrinsic Fabry–Perot Interferometric Physical and Mechanical Sensors: A Review

Fabry–Perot interferometers (FPIs) have found a multitude of scientific and industrial applications ranging from gravitational wave detection, high-resolution spectroscopy, and optical filters to quantum optomechanics. Integrated with optical fiber waveguide technology, the fiber-optic FPIs have emerged as a unique candidate for high-sensitivity sensing and have undergone tremendous growth and advancement in the past two decades with their successful applications in an expansive range of fields. The extrinsic cavity-based devices, i.e., the fiber-optic extrinsic FPIs (EFPIs), enable great flexibility in the design of the sensitive Fabry–Perot cavity combined with state-of-the-art micromachining and conventional mechanical fabrication, leading to the development of a diverse array of EFPI sensors targeting at different physical quantities. Here, we summarize the recent progress of fiber-optic EFPI sensors, providing an overview of different physical and mechanical sensors based on the FPI principle, with a special focus on displacement-related quantities, such as strain, force, tilt, vibration and acceleration, pressure, and acoustic. The working principle and signal demodulation methods are shown in brief. Perspectives on further advancement of EFPI sensing technologies are also discussed.

Tailoring Refractive Index and Surface Sensitivity of an Optical Fiber Fabry-Perot Interferometer by a Thin Layer Deposition

This work discusses the capability of tailoring sensitivity of an optical-fiber-based Fabry–Perot interferometric (FPI) sensor to changes in refractive index (volume sensitivity) and formation of a layer on the sensor surface (surface sensitivity). A simple single-layer approach shows some disadvantages, especially when refractive index ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n</i> ) sensing is considered, e.g., there is no shift of the interference pattern in the wavelength domain. The considered FPI sensor is based on two transparent thin films deposited on a single-mode optical fiber's end face. As the first layer, a high- <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n</i> titanium oxide (TiO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> ) was chosen. We show that addition of a second layer of lower <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n</i> than the first one results in a blueshift of spectral pattern with external <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n</i> ( <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n_ext</i> ). Moreover, when an additional layer, e.g., biological one, is formed, a redshift of the pattern appears, what is in contrary to the shift induced by the increase of <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n_ext</i> . Numerical analysis as well as experiments show that a wide range of materials (with different <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n</i> and thickness) can be applied as the second layer, influencing both volume and surface sensitivities. We have found that when the second layer thickness is tailored to obtain a well spectrally defined pattern, high <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n</i> contrast between the layers increases the volume sensitivity, while for the moderate <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n</i> contrast the surface sensitivity of the FPI can be enhanced. The proposed approach shows large tuning capability towards desired application, as well as can be easily introduced to large-scale sensor manufacturing.

A relative humidity sensor based on open-cavity Fabry-Perot interferometer by fiber capillary splicing

A relative humidity (RH) sensor based on optical fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) with open cavity is proposed and demonstrated, which is manufactured by cutting the fiber capillary (FC) with inclined end and splicing it with the flat end of another FC by overlapping method. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film is coated on the flat end of one FC. The proposed sensor is tested under the conditions of 180 μm cavity length, 45 μm hole size and 15 μm film thickness. The results show that the sensitivity is about 0.70 nm/%RH within the range of 35 %RH ∼ 85 %RH. The proposed sensor has the merits of high sensitivity, fast response time, and high stability.

Temperature-induced inconsistency in the pressure sensitivity of polymer-diaphragm-based FP pressure sensors

Fiber optic Fabry-Perot Interferometer benefits many requirements in pressure sensing. The variation of pressure sensitivity of the polymer-diaphragm-based Fabry-Perot pressure sensor with temperature is studied by investigating the thermal effect of the cavity air and the diaphragm separately. FP cavity vacuum treatment and multi-curvature diaphragm simulation and experimental studies are conducted. Experimental results show that the sensor pressure sensitivity decreases with increasing temperature by 0.46nm/(kPa·°C). The diaphragm’s thermal effect is the leading cause of temperature-induced inconsistency in pressure sensitivity, accounting for 0.43nm/(kPa·°C).

Temperature-immune Fabry-Perot cavity sensor based on an opened hollow-core anti-resonant fiber.

A new approach to conquer the thermal phase drift of an optical fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) sensor is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. By employing a hollow-core anti-resonant fiber (HC-ARF) and optimizing the fusion splicing (includes mode field adaptation) between the lead-in single-mode fiber (SMF) and the HC-ARF, a high spectral resolution (λ/Δλ ≈ 3.8 × 104) optical fiber air-cavity FPI sensor with a fringe visibility higher than 7 dB is constructed. To eliminate the thermal phase drift (i.e. temperature crosstalk) of the sensor that originates from the intrinsic thermal expansion effect of the silica material of the HC-ARF, the FPI air cavity is connected to the external environments, by which the effect of air expelling from the cavity with temperature increasing can well compensate the temperature-induced cavity elongation. As a result, the thermal phase drift of the FPI is reduced to zero at a temperature range of ∼ 80-110 °C and within the temperature range of 40-80 °C, the thermal phase drift is still halved compared with the sealed FPI cavity. The nearly zero thermal phase drift of a FPI at such a temperature range has never been achieved before, to our best knowledge. As a proof of concept, a temperature-immune fiber-optic strain sensor is demonstrated. This work offers a new and efficient approach to eliminate the thermal phase drift (i.e. temperature crosstalk) of a fiber-optic device, which may significantly improve the measurement accuracy and detection limit of fiber-optic FPI sensors. Furthermore, the principle and schema can be generalized to a wide variety of fiber-optic devices.