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Fiber up-taper assisted Mach-Zehnder interferometer for high sensitive temperature sensing

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Abstract

A new in-line Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) sensor consisting of a stub of multi-mode fiber and an up-taper was proposed and demonstrated. Temperature measurement can be carried out by detecting wavelength shift. Dependency of sensitivity on interferometer length and dip wavelength was discussed. Experimental results showed a maximum temperature sensitivity of 113.6 pm/°C can be achieved, which is superior to most fiber temperature sensors based on in-line MZIs within the range from 20°C to 80°C, also a good mechanical strength can be obtained. The proposed sensor is a good candidate for temperature measurement, due to the advantages of simple structure, easy fabrication, cost-effective and high sensitivity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Engineering Laboratory for Next Generation Internet Access System, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Lili Mao, Qizhen Sun, Ping Lu & Deming Liu

  2. College of Optical and electronic information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Lili Mao, Qizhen Sun, Ping Lu & Deming Liu

  3. College of Electrical and electronic Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Zefeng Lao

Authors
  1. Lili Mao
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  2. Qizhen Sun
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  3. Ping Lu
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  4. Zefeng Lao
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  5. Deming Liu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ping Lu.

Additional information

Lili Mao obtained the Master degree in Optoelectronic Information Engineering in 2011 from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and now is pursuing for the Doctor degree. Her research fields include fiber sensor and fiber laser.

Qizhen Sun received the Doctor degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 2008. She has been an Associate Professor with the College of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, since 2011. In 2012, she went to Aston Institute of Photonics Technology as a Visiting Scholar. Her current research interests include fiber-Bragg grating, optical fiber lasers, fiber-optic sensors, and sensor networks.

Ping Lu graduated from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and obtained the Doctor degree in Electronic Science and Technology. She was promoted to Associate Professor and Professor in 2006 and 2011, respectively, and was engaged in postdoctoral research work in Optical Sciences Center of University of Arizona during 2009–2010. Her research fields include fiber sensor and fiber laser.

Zefeng Lao obtained the Master degree in Electrical Engineering in 2014 from Huazhong University of Science and Technology. His research field is electrical sensor.

Deming Liu received the Doctor degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 1999. He has been a Professor with the College of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, since 1994. He was a Visiting Professor with the University of Duisburg-Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, from 1994 to 1996, and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, from 1999 to 2000. Since 2008, he has been the Director of the National Engineering Laboratory for Next Generation Internet Access System. His current research interests include optical access networks, optical communication devices, and fiber-optic sensors.

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Mao, L., Sun, Q., Lu, P. et al. Fiber up-taper assisted Mach-Zehnder interferometer for high sensitive temperature sensing. Front. Optoelectron. 8, 431–438 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12200-014-0455-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12200-014-0455-x

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