Refractive index Mach–Zehnder interferometer sensor based on tapered no-core fiber
Yeming Zhao, Zhengrong Tong, Weihua Zhang, Jietong Zhang, Jiaxin Li, Xue Wang
Abstract
Abstract A Mach–Zehnder interferometer sensor based on tapered no-core fiber (NCF) is proposed in this paper. Due to the multimode interference of the single-mode fiber (SMF)–NCF–SMF structure and the higher-order modes excited by the tapered structure, the sensor is more sensitive to the refractive index. The refractive index sensitivities are 130.5 nm RIU −1 from 1.340 to 1.380, 330.0 nm RIU −1 from 1.380 to 1.420, and 906.0 nm RIU −1 from 1.420 to 1.440, respectively. The temperature sensitivity is 0.0595 nm °C −1 from 30 °C to 90 °C. This proposed sensor has a simple structure and low cost, which can be widely used for biological sensing.
Topics & Concepts
Mach–Zehnder interferometerInterferometryMaterials scienceRefractive indexMulti-mode optical fiberCore (optical fiber)OpticsNormalized frequency (unit)Sensitivity (control systems)Optical fiberStep-index profileFiberGraded-index fiberFiber optic sensorInterference (communication)Photonic-crystal fiberSingle-mode optical fiberOptoelectronicsTelecommunicationsPhysicsElectronic engineeringPhase noisePhase-locked loopChannel (broadcasting)EngineeringFrequency synthesizerComputer scienceComposite materialAdvanced Fiber Optic SensorsPhotonic and Optical DevicesSemiconductor Lasers and Optical Devices