Open Access
Experimental and numerical characterization of a hybrid Fabry-Perot cavity for temperature sensing
(MDPI, 2015) López Aldaba, Aitor; Rodrigues Pinto, Ana Margarida; López-Amo Sáinz, Manuel; Frazão, Orlando; Santos, José Luís; Baptista, José Manuel; Baierl, Hardy; Auguste, Jean-Louis; Jamier, Raphael; Roy, Philippe; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
A hybrid Fabry-Pérot cavity sensing head based on a four-bridge microstructured fiber is characterized for temperature sensing. The characterization of this cavity is performed numerically and experimentally in the L-band. The sensing head output signal presents a linear variation with temperature changes, showing a sensitivity of 12.5 pm/°C. Moreover, this Fabry-Pérot cavity exhibits good sensitivity to polarization changes and high stability over time.
Open Access
Comparison between capacitive and microstructured optical fiber soil moisture sensors
(MDPI, 2018) López Aldaba, Aitor; López Torres, Diego; Campo-Bescós, Miguel; López Rodríguez, José Javier; Yerro Lizarazu, David; Elosúa Aguado, César; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Auguste, Jean-Louis; Jamier, Raphael; Roy, Philippe; López-Amo Sáinz, Manuel; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Landa Ingeniaritza eta Proiektuak; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Proyectos e Ingeniería Rural
Soil moisture content has always been an important parameter to control because it is a deterministic factor for site-specific irrigation, seeding, transplanting, and compaction detection. In this work, a discrete sensor that is based on a SnO2–FP (Fabry-Pérot) cavity is presented and characterized in real soil conditions. As far as authors know, it is the first time that a microstructured optical fiber is used for real soil moisture measurements. Its performance is compared with a commercial capacitive soil moisture sensor in two different soil scenarios for two weeks. The optical sensor shows a great agreement with capacitive sensor’s response and gravimetric measurements, as well as a fast and reversible response; moreover, the interrogation technique allows for several sensors to be potentially multiplexed, which offers the possibility of local measurements instead of volumetric: it constitutes a great tool for real soil moisture monitoring.
Open Access
SnO2-MOF-Fabry-Perot optical sensor for relative humidity measurements
(Elsevier, 2018) López Aldaba, Aitor; López Torres, Diego; Elosúa Aguado, César; Auguste, Jean-Louis; Jamier, Raphael; Roy, Philippe; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; López-Amo Sáinz, Manuel; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica
In this paper, a new optical fiber sensor for relative humidity measurements is presented and characterized. The sensor is based on a SnO2 sputtering deposition on a microstructured optical fiber (MOF) low-finesse Fabry-Pérot (FP) sensing head. The feasibility of the device as a breathing sensor is also experimentally demonstrated. The interrogation of the sensing head is carried out by monitoring the Fast Fourier Transform phase variations of the FP interference frequency. This method substitutes the necessity of tracking the optical spectrum peaks or valleys, which can be a handicap when noise or multiple contributions are present: therefore, it is low-sensitive to noise and to artifacts signal amplitude. The sensor shows a linear behavior in a wide relative humidity range (20%–90% relative humidity) in which the sensitivity is 0.14 rad/%; the maximum observed instability is 0.007 rad, whereas the highest hysteresis is 5% RH. The cross correlation with temperature is also considered and a method to lower its influence is proposed. For human breathing measurement, the registered rising and recovery times are 370 ms and 380 ms respectively.
Open Access
Control of the strain sensitivity using a suspended core photonic crystal fiber sensing head
(SPIE, 2014-06-02) Rota Rodrigo, Sergio; López-Amo Sáinz, Manuel; Kobelke, J.; Schuster, K.; Santos, José Luís; Frazão, Orlando; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
In this work a strain sensor based on a suspended core fiber is proposed. The sensor comprises a suspended core PCF between SMFs and is based on the multimode interference generated in these transitions. A strain sensitivity study for different sensing heads and stage separation lengths was carried out showing a sensitivity of -2.42 pm/με for the best case. Also the sensing head was tested for curvature and temperature, showing in the first case that it is insensitive to curvature effects, and secondly, that for small sensor lengths it was insensitive to temperature variations.
Open Access
All-fiber lasers through photonic crystal fibers
(Science Wise Publishing & De Gruyter, 2013) Rodrigues Pinto, Ana Margarida; López-Amo Sáinz, Manuel; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
A review on all-fiber lasers based on photonic crystal fibers is presented. Photonic crystal fibers present improved features beyond what conventional optical fibers can offer. Due to their geometric versatility, photonic crystal fibers can present special properties and abilities which can lead to enhanced lasing structures. A brief description of photonic crystal fibers and fiber laser’s properties is presented. All-fiber laser structures developed using photonic crystal fibers are described and divided in two groups, depending on the cavity topology: ring cavity fiber lasers and linear cavity fiber lasers. All-fiber lasers applications in the photonic crystal fiber related sensing field are described.
Open Access
Real time measuring system of multiple chemical parameters using microstructured optical fibers based sensors
(IEEE, 2018) López Aldaba, Aitor; López Torres, Diego; Elosúa Aguado, César; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Auguste, Jean-Louis; Jamier, Raphael; Roy, Philippe; López-Amo Sáinz, Manuel; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación
In this paper, a multiplexing system for simultaneous interrogation of optical fiber sensors which measure different parameters is presented and validated. The whole system has been tested with 6 different sensing heads with different purposes: one temperature sensing head, two relative humidity sensors and three VOCs leak sensors; all of them based on microstructured optical fibers. The interrogation system uses the FFT technique to isolate each sensor's interference, enabling their simultaneous interrogation. The system interrogates all the sensors at frequencies up to 1 KHz, showing a good performance of each measurement without crosstalk between sensors. The developed system is independent of the sensors' purpose or of the multiplexing topology.
Open Access
Simultaneous strain and temperature measure based on a single suspended core photonic crystal fiber
(SPIE, 2014-06-02) Rota Rodrigo, Sergio; López-Amo Sáinz, Manuel; Kobelke, J.; Schuster, K.; Santos, José Luís; Frazão, Orlando; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
In this work a simultaneous strain and temperature sensor based on a suspended core fiber is proposed. The sensor comprises a 3mm suspended core PCF between SMFs and is based on the combination of two multimodal interferences with different frequency fringe patterns. The interference of the both signal has different sensitivity responses to strain and temperature. Thought a low-pass frequency filtering of the detected spectrum, the wavelength shift of the two interferences can be measured allowing the discrimination of strain and temperature simultaneously. The resolutions of this sensor are 0.45 ºC and 4.02 με.
Open Access
SnO2-MOF-Fabry-Pérot humidity optical sensor system based on Fast Fourier transform technique
(SPIE, 2016) López Aldaba, Aitor; López Torres, Diego; Ascorbe Muruzabal, Joaquín; Rota Rodrigo, Sergio; Elosúa Aguado, César; López-Amo Sáinz, Manuel; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Corres Sanz, Jesús María; Auguste, Jean-Louis; Jamier, Raphael; Roy, Philippe; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica
In this paper, a new sensor system for relative humidity measurements based on a SnO2 sputtering deposition on a microstructured optical fiber (MOF) low-finesse Fabry-Pérot (FP) sensing head is presented and characterized. The interrogation of the sensing head is carried out by monitoring the Fast Fourier Transform phase variations of the FP interference frequency. This method is low-sensitive to signal amplitude variations and also avoids the necessity of tracking the evolution of peaks and valleys in the spectrum. The sensor is operated within a wide humidity range (20%-90% relative humidity) with a maximum sensitivity achieved of 0.14rad/%. The measurement method uses a commercial optical interrogator as the only active element, this compact solution allows real time analysis of the data.
Open Access
Characterization of a hybrid Fabry-Pérot Cavity based on a four-bridge double-Y-shape-core microstructured fiber
(SPIE, 2014-06-02) Rodrigues Pinto, Ana Margarida; López Aldaba, Aitor; López-Amo Sáinz, Manuel; Frazão, Orlando; Santos, José Luís; Baptista, José Manuel; Baierl, Hardy; Auguste, Jean-Louis; Jamier, Raphael; Roy, Philippe; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC
In this work, a hybrid Fabry-Perot interferometer based on a novel four-bridge microstructured fiber is presented and characterized. The characterization of this cavity is performed in the L-band using two different instruments: an optical spectrum analyzer and an optical backscatter reflectometer. The Fabry-Perot output signal presents linear variation with temperature changes (sensitivity 9.8-11.9 pm/ºC), variation with the polarization states of light and high stability.
Open Access
Relative humidity multi-point optical sensors system based on Fast Fourier multiplexing technique
(SPIE, 2017) López Aldaba, Aitor; López Torres, Diego; Elosúa Aguado, César; Auguste, Jean-Louis; Jamier, Raphael; Roy, Philippe; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; López-Amo Sáinz, Manuel; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica
In this paper, a new multipoint optical fiber system for relative humidity measurements based on Sn02-FP (Fabry-Pérot) sensing heads and an optical interrogator as single active device is presented and characterized. The interrogation of the sensing heads is carried out by monitoring the Fast Fourier Transform phase variations of the FP (Fabry-Pérot) interference frequencies. This method allows to multiplex several sensors with different wavelength spacing interference pattern. The sensors operate within a wide humidity range (20%-90% relative humidity) with low crosstalk between them. Five sensing heads have been measured using two different channels of the optical interrogator. The availability of four channels in the interrogator allows to multiplex a higher number of sensors, reducing proportionally the cost of each sensing point.