Open Access
A comparative study between SMS interferometers and lossy mode resonace optical fiber devices for sensing applications
(SPIE, 2015) Socorro Leránoz, Abián Bentor; Hernáez Sáenz de Zaitigui, Miguel; Del Villar, Ignacio; Corres Sanz, Jesús María; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Optical fiber sensors are of great interest due to their intrinsic advantages over electronic sensors. In this work, the sensing characteristics of two different and novel optical fiber devices are compared, after simultaneously depositing a thin-film using the layer-by-layer assembly deposition process. The first one is an SMS structure, formed by splicing two single-mode fiber pigtails on both sides of a coreless multimode fiber segment. This structure induces an interferometric phenomenon that generates several attenuation and transmission bands along the spectrum. These bands are sensitive to variations in the surrounding refractive index, although this sensitivity has been enhanced by a TiO2/PSS thin-film. The other device is a 40 mm uncladded segment of a 200 µm-core multimode optical fiber. When coated by a TiO2/PSS thinfilm, part of the light transmitted into the uncladded core is coupled into the thin-film, generating a lossy mode resonance (LMR). The absorption peaks due to these phenomena red-shift as long as the thin-film thickness increases or the external RI becomes higher. The performance of these devices as refractometers and relative humidity sensors are tested. Results show that the LMR-based sensor is more sensitive in both situations, in spite of its lower sensitivity. Particularly, it presents a 7-fold sensitivity enhancement when measuring surrounding medium refractive index changes and a 10-fold sensitivity enhancement when measuring environmental relative humidity. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a comparative study between SMS and LMR sensors is performed.
Open Access
Nanocoated optical fibre for lossy mode resonance (LMR) sensors and filters
(IEEE, 2015) Del Villar, Ignacio; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Corres Sanz, Jesús María; Bariáin Aisa, Cándido; Goicoechea Fernández, Javier; Ruiz Zamarreño, Carlos; Elosúa Aguado, César; Hernáez Sáenz de Zaitigui, Miguel; Rivero Fuente, Pedro J.; Socorro Leránoz, Abián Bentor; Urrutia Azcona, Aitor; Sánchez Zábal, Pedro; Zubiate Orzanco, Pablo; López Torres, Diego; Acha Morrás, Nerea de; Ascorbe Muruzabal, Joaquín; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
Nanometer scale coatings with a complex refractive index deposited on optical fibre permit to obtain attenuation bands in the transmission spectrum, whose central wavelength coincides with the moment when a mode guided in the optical fibre cladding starts to be guided in the coating. Due to the complex refractive index of the coating, the guided mode is a lossy mode. Consequently, these attenuation bands receive the name of lossy mode resonances. This phenomenon can be used for development of ultra-high sensitivity photonic devices (for detection, among others, of volatile organic compounds, pH and refractive index) or for optical filtering. In this work, rules for adequate design are indicated based on numerical results obtained with FIMMWAVE and on experimental results that corroborate the theoretical predictions.
Open Access
Route towards a label-free optical waveguide sensing platform based on lossy mode resonances
(IFSA Publishing, 2019) Ruiz Zamarreño, Carlos; Zubiate Orzanco, Pablo; Ozcariz Celaya, Aritz; Elosúa Aguado, César; Socorro Leránoz, Abián Bentor; Urrutia Azcona, Aitor; López Torres, Diego; Acha Morrás, Nerea de; Ascorbe Muruzabal, Joaquín; Vitoria Pascual, Ignacio; Imas González, José Javier; Corres Sanz, Jesús María; Díaz Lucas, Silvia; Hernáez Sáenz de Zaitigui, Miguel; Goicoechea Fernández, Javier; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Del Villar, Ignacio; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua,0011-1365-2017- 000117; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, PJUPNA26
According to recent market studies of the North American company Allied Market Research, the field of photonic sensors is an emerging strategic field for the following years and it is expected to garner $18 billion by 2021. The integration of micro and nanofabrication technologies in the field of sensors has allowed the development of new technological concepts such as lab-on-a-chip which have achieved extraordinary advances in terms of detection and applicability, for example in the field of biosensors. This continuous development has allowed that equipment consisting of many complex devices that occupied a whole room a few years ago, at present it is possible to handle them in the palm of the hand; that formerly long duration processes are carried out in a matter of milliseconds and that a technology previously dedicated solely to military or scientific uses is available to the vast majority of consumers. The adequate combination of micro and nanostructured coatings with optical fiber sensors has permitted us to develop novel sensing technologies, such as the first experimental demonstration of lossy mode resonances (LMRs) for sensing applications, with more than one hundred citations and related publications in high rank journals and top conferences. In fact, fiber optic LMR-based devices have been proven as devices with one of the highest sensitivity for refractometric applications. Refractive index sensitivity is an indirect and simple indicator of how sensitive the device is to chemical and biological species, topic where this proposal is focused. Consequently, the utilization of these devices for chemical and biosensing applications is a clear opportunity that could open novel and interesting research lines and applications as well as simplify current analytical methodologies. As a result, on the basis of our previous experience with LMR based sensors to attain very high sensitivities, the objective of this paper is presenting the route for the development of label-free optical waveguide sensing platform based on LMRs that enable to explore the limits of this technology for bio-chemosensing applications.
Open Access
Asymmetrically and symmetrically coated tapered optical fiber for sensing applications
(SPIE, 2015) Del Villar, Ignacio; Socorro Leránoz, Abián Bentor; Corres Sanz, Jesús María; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
The deposition of a non-metallic thin-film in a symmetrically coated tapered optical fiber leads to the generation of resonances due to guidance of a mode in the thin-film. At certain conditions, the resonances overlap each other, which can be avoided with an asymmetric coated tapered optical fiber, which permits to obtain resonances for TM and TE polarization separately. Numerical results showing the sensitivity to coating thickness and surrounding medium refractive index are also presented for both polarizations.
Open Access
Fiber-optic immunosensor based on lossy mode resonances induced by indium tin oxide thin-films
(IEEE, 2017) Socorro Leránoz, Abián Bentor; Del Villar, Ignacio; Corres Sanz, Jesús María; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC
A novel immunosensor based on lossy mode resonances (LMRs) induced in optical fibers is developed in this contribution. Indium tin oxide (ITO) is sputtered on the optical substrate to generate an LMR in the transmission spectrum. Type G immunoglobulins (IgGs) are then attached to the ITO-coated fiber using (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (GPTMS). A phosphate buffer saline solution containing anti-IgGs is used to detect the biological reactions. The presented device is capable of detecting anti-IgG concentrations up to 10 nM. These results will permit the fabrication of biosensors based on a covalent attachment of bioreceptors over an LMR inducing thin-film.
Open Access
Etched and nanocoated SMS fiber sensor for detection of salinity concentration
(MDPI, 2017) Cardona-Maya, Yamile; Del Villar, Ignacio; Socorro Leránoz, Abián Bentor; Corres Sanz, Jesús María; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Botero-Cadavid, Juan F.; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua: 2016/PI008; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua: 2016/PC025; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua: 2016/PC026
An optical fibre refractometer has been developed by etching and deposition of a thin film of indium tin oxide (ITO) on a single-mode-multimode-single-mode (SMS) fibre structure. The interference between modes in this structure is sensitive to the refractive index changes of the surrounding medium, achieving sensitivities of up to 7000 nm/RIU in the 1.333–1.338 RIU range. A salinity sensor has been implemented as a practical application of this proposed structure. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis and tracking of an interference dip were used to monitor the interference between modes obtaining sensitivities of 0.99 nm/PSU and 0.025 rad/PSU, respectively.
Open Access
Wavelength and phase detection based SMS fiber sensors optimized with etching and nanodeposition
(IEEE, 2016) Cardona-Maya, Yamile; Del Villar, Ignacio; Socorro Leránoz, Abián Bentor; Corres Sanz, Jesús María; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Botero-Cadavid, Juan F.; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua, 2016/PI008; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua, 2016/PC025; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua, 2016/PC026
The development of an optical fiber refractometer by hydrogen fluoride etching and sputtering deposition of a thin-film of indium tin oxide on a single-mode-multimode-single-mode fiber structure has been analyzed with the aim of improving the sensitivity to the changes of the refractive index (RI) of the external medium. The device is sensitive to the RI changes of the surrounding medium, which can be monitored by tracking the spectral changes of an attenuation band or with a fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis. By using an optical spectrum analyzer combined with a simple FFT measurement technique, the simultaneous real time monitoring is achieved. The results show that the sensitivity depends on the thin-film thickness. A maximum of 1442 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) in the 1.32–1.35RIUrange has been attained. In addition, a theoretical analysis has been performed, where simu lationsmatched with the experimental results. As a practical appli cation of the developed optical fiber structure, a °Brix (°Bx) sensor has been implemented with a sensitivity of 2.13 nm/°Bx and 0.25 rad/°Bx respectively for wavelength and phase shift detection.