In-Fiber Mach–Zehnder Interferometer Based on Double Cladding Fibers for Refractive Index Sensor

Author

Pang, Fufei ; Liu, Huanhuan ; Guo, Hairun ; Liu, Yunqi ; Zeng, Xianglong ; Chen, Na ; Chen, Zhenyi ; Wang, Tingyun

Author_Institution

Key Lab. of Specialty Fiber Opt. & Opt. Access Networks, Shanghai Univ., Shanghai, China

Volume

11

Issue

10

fYear

2011

Firstpage

2395

Lastpage

2400

Abstract

An in-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) was fabricated and characterized for solution refractive index (RI) sensors. The MZI consists of two cascade double cladding fibers (DCFs) in a standard single mode fiber (SMF). The DCFs serve as the in-fiber couplers which split and combine light propagating in the core and the outer cladding region. Since the cladding mode is excited, the interference spectrum is sensitive to the ambient RI variation. Within the RI range from 1.3333 to 1.4535, the sensor characteristics were characterized. The sensitivity of 31 nm/RIU and 823 nm/RIU were obtained for the lower RI (1.34) and the higher RI (1.44), respectively. With the mass-producing of DCF and the easy fabrication process of the sensor head, the proposed in-fiber MZI is a potential alternative for the RI sensor application.

Keywords

Mach-Zehnder interferometers; fibre optic sensors; optical fibre cladding; refractive index; DCF; RI sensors; SMF; double cladding fibers; fabrication process; in-fiber MZI; in-fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer; in-fiber couplers; interference spectrum; refractive index sensor; single mode fiber; Couplers; Interference; Optical fiber couplers; Optical fiber networks; Optical fiber sensors; Cladding-mode resonance; in-fiber Mach– Zehnder interferometer; refractive index sensor;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Sensors Journal, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1530-437X

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/JSEN.2011.2123885

Filename

5725154