Simultaneous force and temperature measurement using optical microfiber asymmetrical interferometer

Abstract

A novel optical microfiber asymmetric Fabry-Perot interferometric (MAFPI) sensor is developed for simultaneous measurement of force and temperature. The MAFPI structure is formed by a weak fiber Bragg grating (FBG), a section of the microfiber, and a cleaved fiber end surface. The narrowband beam reflected from the low-reflectivity FBG and the broadband beam from the Fresnel reflection interfere lead to its unique sensing performance. The force sensing is performed by detecting the bending-loss induced fringe contrast changes, while the Bragg wavelength shift is employed for temperature measurement. Sensitivities of 9.8 pm/°C and 0.025 dB/μN were obtained experimentally for temperature and force measurements, respectively.

Keywords

Optical microfiber / weak FBG / interferometric

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