Development of a dual function sensor system for measuring pressure and temperature at the tip of a single optical fiber

A dual function sensor system has been developed for measuring pressure and temperature at the tip of a single optical fiber. The sensor contains three parts: a filter band-edge shift temperature sensor, a short-wavelength-reflecting dichroic filter, and a diaphragm-based spectral modulation pressure sensor. The sensor system uses a separate and distinct light-emitting diode (LED) for interrogating each sensor, three 100/140 mm step-index fused couplers for managing light, and separate paired photodiode assemblies for analyzing the return light signal from each sensor. In bench tests, each sensor performed to specification and there was no crosstalk between sensors. This sensor design has potential catheter applications where catheter size must be kept to an absolute minimum.