Title :
High-Sensitivity Mach–Zehnder Interferometric Curvature Fiber Sensor Based on Thin-Core Fiber
Author :
Haiwei Fu ; Na Zhao ; Min Shao ; Huidong Li ; Hong Gao ; Qinpeng Liu ; Zhen Yong ; Yinggang Liu ; Xueguang Qiao
Author_Institution :
Shaanxi Key Lab. of Opt. Inf. Technol., Xi´an Shiyou Univ., Xi´an, China
Abstract :
A simple and compact thin-core fiber (TCF)-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is proposed for curvature measurement. The sensor head is composed by a short section of TCF embedded between two single-mode fibers. The MZI works on the basis of interference between the core mode and cladding mode in TCF. The transmission spectrum of the sensor is analyzed by the fast Fourier transform, which indicates that the interference mainly occurs between LP01 and LP018 modes propagating in TCF. The experimental results show that the dip wavelengths in transmission spectrum decrease linearly as the curvature increase with a sensitivity of -13.53 nm/m-1. The high curvature sensitivity makes this sensor a candidate for curvature discrimination and measurement in the field of structural deformation, intelligent artificial limb, and mechanical engineering.
Keywords :
Mach-Zehnder interferometers; curvature measurement; deformation; fast Fourier transforms; fibre optic sensors; light interference; optical fibre cladding; spectral analysis; LP018 mode propagation; LP01 mode propagation; MZI; Mach-Zehnder interferometric curvature fiber sensor; TCF; cladding mode; core mode; curvature measurement; fast Fourier transform; intelligent artificial limb; interference; mechanical engineering; sensor transmission spectrum analysis; single mode fiber; structural deformation; thin core fiber; Intelligent sensors; Interference; Optical fiber couplers; Optical fiber sensors; Sensitivity; Bending measurement; Mach-Zehnder interferometer; curvature sensor; thin-core fiber;
Journal_Title :
Sensors Journal, IEEE
DOI :
10.1109/JSEN.2014.2347285
