Optical fiber fluorescence sensors are widely used for chemical sensing. Intrinsic fluorescence sensors such as evanescent-wave sensors can be used for surface sensing while extrinsic sensors are used for bulk sensing. In intrinsic/ extrinsic fluorescence sensors, typically the side-wall/end-face of a single/multi-mode fiber is used. In this paper we introduce a novel intrinsic optical fiber fluorescence sensor which uses the side-wall of a large-core multi-mode fiber to collect the fluorescence from the bulk of samples. The method is to use a corrugated long period fiber grating, fabricated by a CO2 laser, to couple radiating modes to the core modes. Using the side-wall of a fiber helps to fabricate a multitarget or a distributed sensor. We also report the sensing of lead ions with concentration as low as few ppb in water using a novel fluorescence turn-on polymer as a chemical probe.
Tracing of the specific chemicals and biological agents in a solution is becoming a vital interest in health, security and
safety industries. Although a number of standard laboratory-based testing systems exists for detecting such targets, but
the fast, real-time and on-site methods could be more efficient and cost-effective. One of the most common ways to
detect a target in the solution is to use the fluorophore molecules which will be selectively attached to the targets and
will emit or quench the fluorescence in presence of the target. The fiber-optic fluorometers are developed for
inexpensive and portable detection. In this paper, we explain a novel multi-segment fiber structure which uses the
periodic perturbation on the side-wall of a highly multi-mode fiber to enhance collecting the fluorescent light. This
periodic perturbation is fabricated and optimized on the core of the fiber using a CO2 laser. The theoretical explanation
to show the physical principle of the structure is followed by the experimental evidence of its functioning.
This paper is devoted to examining the ability of a coaxial fiber-optic sensor (FOS) in detecting weak fluorescent light
and weak fluorescence “turn-on” in the presence of trace heavy metal ion Pb2+. The captured fluorescent signal is
detected by the Ocean Optics QE65000 spectrometer. The stock solutions include Pb2+ acetate in water (0.01 M) and a
small molecule probe in water. The preliminary experiment shows that this FOS offers the Pb2+ detection limit (DL) of
1.26×10-4 mg/mL. The advantages, limitations and further improvements of this coaxial FOS are discussed in
comparison with the bench-top instruments in terms of the abilities of signal light capture and stray excitation light
suppression.
In this article the enhancement of the novel fiber-optic fluorescent sensor is demonstrated. The novel sensor that was
developed by our group is based on the collection of the fluorescence from the sidewall of the multimode optical fiber
which is partly de-cladded and covered by the sample under the test (SUT). The most part of the fluorescent intensity is
carried by the leaky rays which are inaccessible in traditional evanescent-wave fluorescence fiber sensors. In our
previous structure, some part of a refracting power is collected in the de-cladded segment and used to excite the lower
order lossless modes in the cladded part by an end-face mode-mixer. In the enhanced type of our sensor we discovered
that the mode-mixer on the side-wall, rather than on the end-face, is more efficient. The fluorescence efficiency
increased in this type of enhanced sensor by about 88%. Moreover, the capability of multiplexing of the different SUT
on one fiber is a promising advantage of this architecture with a view to develop the multi-channel chemical detection
system with inexpensive simple fiber-optic.
It is commonly accepted that light captured by the fiber core sidewall is from a depth of less than 1 μm limited by the
evanescent-wave (EW) field. Yet we demonstrate in this paper that, with some simple modifications, the fiber core
sidewall is also able to capture light from an adjustable depth beyond the EW field. The key elements are an air-clad
fiber core cylinder; a liquid sample droplet surrounding a short segment of the core; a narrow, collimated and position-tunable
excitation beam perpendicular to the fiber axis to excite the sample. A theoretical investigation of the operation
of the mechanism is given, which is verified by a preliminary experiment.
Based on the lab-on-a-fiber (LOF) concept we proposed before, we further optimize its architecture while preserving its
capability in fluorescent signal collection and excitation stray light rejection. This LOF device is a short fiber taper with
a TNT sensory film overlay at one end of a 400 μm core fiber which is approximately 50 mm long. The optimized LOF
also lowers the system cost, eases the fiber replacement and maintenance, which are enabled by a reusable 3-leg
bifurcated fiber bundle with SMA connectors to connect LOF, an excitation light source and a spectrometer. This LOF
device occupies only a Φ0.4 mm × 1 mm space.
In this article a novel advanced fiber-optic fluorescent sensor is demonstrated. The sensor is based on collection of the
fluorescence from the sidewall of the multimode optical fiber which is partly de-cladded and covered by the sample
under the test (SUT). The most part of the fluorescent intensity is carried by the leaky rays which are inaccessible in
traditional evanescent-wave fluorescence fiber sensors. In the proposed structure, some part of a refracting power is
collected in the de-cladded segment and used to excite the lower order lossless modes in cladded part by a sidewall mode
mixer. In addition to the higher level of fluorescence collection, the architecture allows us to multiplex several different
channels along one fiber, since we use only a small segment of the normal (not tapered) sidewall for each channel.A
highly efficient fluorescence turn-on molecular probe is applied to this advanced fiber-optic structure, for sensitive and
selective detection of Cu+2 in water. The fluorescence turn-on molecular probe is a mixture of a fluorophore polymer
P1and M1 as a Cu receptor and a fluorescent quencher. The P1 is used as an indicator which generates the fluorescence
centered at the wavelength of 650 nm and then, with a proper amount of M1 solution, the fluorescence is quenched up to
53% of its maximum intensity. The P1-M1 pair is broken by absorption of Cu with the M1 and the fluorescence is
released again. This turn-on effect is used for detection of Cu with a low detection limit of 0.02689 g/ml.
In this paper, the enhancement of collection efficiency in fiber-optic evanescent-wave (EW) sensors is studied. Both
theory and experimental results are presented. The theory is based primarily on ray optics, but for the sake of simplicity
and accuracy, wave optics is also considered. Fluorescent light is coupled into the core of a partly unclad multimode
fiber via EW. Most power is carried to the unclad end-face by tunneling modes. Reflection from this rough end-face,
which is modeled as a diffuse source, mixes the initial modes. Bound rays also play an important role, carrying the
power to the other end-face. The amount of output power of the bound rays there is calculated. We also study the output
power when the end-face is smooth. The comparison of these two cases of output power shows that the rough end-face
enhances the collection of coupled evanescent waves.
A taper at one end of the fiber serving as the sensing element is widely used to enhance the performance of evanescentwave
(EW) fiber-optic sensors. However, almost all sensors of this type launch the excitation light into the core at the
opposite end and the entire taper has to be immersed into the bulky sample volume. This paper introduces a new way of
injecting excitation light: from the outside of the taper perpendicularly. As a result, several desirable features are
achieved simultaneously, including a dramatic increase of collectable EW signal, elimination of stray excitation light,
easy system construction and reduction of the sample volume to mere microliters.
Identification of trace-vapor TNT explosive emanating from mines or IEDs is in urgent demand due to today's mounting
terrorist threat. Amplifying fluorescent polymer (AFP) based on quenching offers an opportunity for progress in this
regard. Maximizing the performance of this material and meeting the requirements of real-life situations, however, pose
challenges to the sensing platform design. We address these challenges by establishing a multimode fiber-optic sensing
platform with a millimeter-scale sensing element and our alternative TNT sensory polymer to AFP. Theoretical
calculation is given, demonstrating the highly efficient use of the excitation power, which allows for the sensing head to
be as miniature as 0.8×0.8×1.6 mm. The exposure of our sensor to the TNT vapor gives a fast response, at the level of
30% power quenching occurring within 10 seconds. Another major advantage of our solution is that the mechanism of
stray excitation light is eliminated naturally due to the design of the platform architecture.
By depositing an amplifying fluorescent polymer (AFP) directly onto the core side wall of an optical fiber near the fiber
tip, a functional fiber-optic sensing platform is created at a scale of a mere 0.8×0.8×1.6 mm3, including the second fiber
tip for excitation light delivery. The device integrates several functional optical components, a chemical sensory film and
the necessary laboratory procedures on a minute scale. Here the Lab-on-a-Fiber (LOF) platform is conceptually
introduced and proven to be a high-performance and low-cost approach to detection of trace vapors of TNT explosives.
The low-cost potential is achieved by straightforward system construction and simple procedures for the AFP film
deposition. The high performance is achieved by a dramatic increase of fluorescence emission signal collection, virtually
complete suppression of excitation stray light and the fast response to the presence of TNT vapor, which is illustrated by
30% of quenching percentage occurring within 10 seconds.
There is an increasing demand for the efficient collection of fluorescent light emitted from a very thin layer of polymer
material such as the specifically synthesized polymer material used in TNT explosives detection. However, the
enormous transparency of this thin film poses a severe challenge for any light detection system based on a traditional
approach. For a simple two-fiber architecture with one fiber for excitation light delivery and another for emission
collection, we report that by launching the excitation light to one corner edge of a planar glass substrate covered with a
thin layer of polymer film, we are able to simultaneously dramatically enhance the collectable fluorescent signal level
and reduce the level of stray excitation light. The proposed sensing architecture opens up an efficient way of light
coupling and collecting for fluorescent-related chemical and biological sample assay.
A typical evanescent-wave fiber-optic fluorometer (EWFOF) has an excitation (Ex) light source attached at one end,
causing a significant level of stray Ex light mixed with a much weaker signal at the detection end. A high-performance
filter / detector assembly is hence a common requirement for signal recovery. We have proposed a side-excited EWFOF
featuring significant suppression of this stray light level and enhancement of the fluorescent emission signal. In
particular, this EWFOF limits its sensing volume within a single droplet approximately the diameter of a fiber core. The
paper compares the performance of this fluorometer with that of a conventional EWFOF based on several identical
conditions such as fiber type, filter and Ex source power level as well as the detection system.
In this paper we describe and evaluate three novel types of fiber-optic sensors based on Photonic Crystal Fibers (PCFs)
which have been developed recently at our Photonics Research Center at Universite du Quebec en Outaouais (UQO).
Three different sensing mechanisms and, correspondingly, three different types of PCFs were employed to fabricate
these devices. All three sensors displayed superior performance than similar sensors developed using standard optical
fibers.
A three-fiber probe is fabricated for the measurement of fluorescent light emitted from a flat and tilted membrane cast on a glass substrate. With two identical photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) as the receiving fibers, we demonstrate that a segment of pure glass rod formed at the front end of a large-core PCF has an enhanced capability of collecting fluorescent light. The percentage of this increase depends on the distance between the membrane and the fiber probe. An initial theoretical investigation reveals that a longer fused segment can shift the light reception cone towards the symmetric axis of the illuminating fiber where the maximum energy locates. Higher emission is expected in this area and would be able to reach this shifted reception cone. This area is a dead zone for the PCF without or with a shorter fused segment. The possible applications of this fused glass segment with a proper length are highlighted.
The air holes structured in a Photonic crystal fiber’s cladding are easily contaminated by dust and moisture. For some applications, the fibers need to be in contact with fluids. The capillary effect will then draw the fluid into the air holes and change the optical properties of the fiber. A simple solution to avoid this effect is to collapse these air holes near the fiber end face. This, however, will in turn significantly affect the optical properties in such a way that they will need to be specifically investigated. In this paper we present a theoretical model of light transmission in the area of a collapsed fiber end face. We demonstrate that the air hole collapsed PCF could be represented by an equivalent PCF fiber with complete holes. A shorter collapsed segment will lead to a higher accuracy of this model and to a higher power coupling efficiency than a longer collapsed segment. Error distributions are calculated for different incident angles and for different core sizes. A 0.7 m length of a PM-1550-01 polarization maintaining PCF fiber is experimentally investigated. The setup uses an optical fiber splicer to couple light from another PM-1550-01 PCF fiber to the investigated PCF fiber. A SLD is used as a light source. The transmitted light is measured by a EXFO Fibre-Optic Tester. By adjusting the distance between the launching fiber and the receiving PCF fiber (10 mm per step), the intensity-distance curves are generated for 3 different collapsed distances: 1. Air holes of PCF fiber are not collapsed; 2. Air holes are collapsed at about ~1/5 OD and 3. Air holes are collapsed at about ~1 OD. The analysis of these curves confirms the validity of the developed theoretical model.
KEYWORDS: Sensors, Fiber optics sensors, Optical fibers, Sensing systems, Interferometry, Fiber optics, Temperature metrology, Chemical elements, Temperature sensors, Data acquisition
A simplified white-light interferometric strain sensor based on HB fibers with automatic temperature compensation is presented. A variety of experiments conducted within this study confirm an adequate temperature compensation could be achieved. Several different sensor structures were investigated during these experiments. One of the most important results shows that the interference contrast could significantly influence the measurement accuracy achievable by the system. Consequently, a 1% or even better absolute accuracy for short sensing fibers is possible if the contrast is enhanced to 0.5. A quasi-distributed cascade containing several discrete sensors with 0.5 contrast is also suggested.
A PFOS for monitoring and detecting damages in aluminum specimen has been demonstrated. It has been shown that PFOS can be used to monitor the development of cracks and predict residual load on aluminum structures. The experimental result obtained is very consistent and the sensor is immune to temperature changes and electromagnetic interference, as it does not require a reference are more accurate for damage detection. Some of the features such as low cost, durable, light weight and real-time applications of PFOS have been highlighted.
On-line monitoring cracks development of the aircrafts in active service is of great significance for flight safety. Fiber optic sensor has its unique advantages over conventional sensors in this aspect. For modern aircrafts, many critical structures are made of aluminum alloys. When structural damage occurs in structures due to cracking, it reduces the stiffness. This charge is reflected in the structure through changes in its dynamic characteristics such as natural frequencies, modal damping. In this paper, the ability of surface mounted fiber optic polarimetric sensor on aluminum vibrating cantilever specimen to detect cracks is studied. Different sources such as He-Ne laser, LD for fiber communication, laser pointer with longer, shorter and very short interference lengths are used in our experiments to evalute their ability for dynamic test, respectively. The preliminary experimental results show that the measured main frequencies will be different for various number of cracks and depths. The three sources, the drift of light intensity and the change of interference contrast will not affect the measured main frequency values. Some of theoretical analysis is also given. From these results, surface mounted fiber optic polarimetric sensors is expected to find its application in monitoring structural integrity of structural members of aircraft in active service.
In this paper, the second-order sensitivities of the optical fiber sensor for simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature are analyzed theoretically and demonstrated experimentally for a dual-wavelength optical fiber sensor. Error analysis shows that such effects will be important when: (1) large strain (or temperature change) and small temperature change (or strain) are applied simultaneously; (2) large strain and large temperature change are applied simultaneously. But they can be omitted for small changes of the two parameters.
In this paper, for optical fiber strain and temperature sensors, we discuss the relation between condition number and the solution of a set of linear equations about strain and temperature, develop the theoretical formulae to calculate the cross-sensitivity and quantitatively calculate the error induced by omitting cross-sensitivity for any values of strain and temperature and obtain some useful conclusions.
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