Open Access
High sensitive refractometers based on lossy mode resonances (LMRs) supported by ITO coated D-shaped optical fibers
(Optical Society of America, 2015) Zubiate Orzanco, Pablo; Ruiz Zamarreño, Carlos; Del Villar, Ignacio; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
Tin doped indium oxide (ITO) coatings fabricated onto D-shaped optical fibers are presented as the supporting medium for Lossy Mode Resonances (LMRs) generation. The characteristic geometry of ITO-coated D-shaped optical fibers enables to observe experimentally LMRs obtained with both TM and TE polarized light (LMRTM and LMRTE). This permits to obtain a maximum transmission decay of 36 dB with a LMR spectral width of 6.9 nm, improving that obtained in previous works, where the LMRs were a combination of an LMRTM and an LMRTE. Surrounding medium refractive index (SMRI) sensitivity characterization of LMRTM has been performed obtaining a maximum sensitivity of 8742 nm/RIU in the range 1.365-1.38 refractive index units (RIU) which overcomes that of surface plasmon resonance-based optical fiber devices presented in recent works.
Open Access
Optical fiber thermo-refractometer
(Optica, 2022) Imas González, José Javier; Ruiz Zamarreño, Carlos; Del Villar, Ignacio; Cardozo da Silva, Jean Carlos; Oliveira, V.; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren
This work presents the implementation of a thermo-refractometer, which integrates the measurement of both refractive index and temperature in a single optical fiber structure. To this purpose, a lossy mode resonance (LMR)-based refractometer is obtained by means of the deposition of a titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin film onto a side-polished (D-shaped) single mode fiber. Measurement and subsequent temperature compensation are achieved by means of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) inscribed in the core of the D-shaped region. The LMR wavelength shift is monitored in transmission while the FBG (FBG peak at 1533 nm) displacement is observed in reflection. The LMR is sensitive to both the surrounding refractive index (SRI), with a sensitivity of 3725.2 nm/RIU in the 1.3324-1.3479 range, and the temperature (- 0.186 nm/°C); while the FBG is only affected by the temperature (32.6 pm/°C in the 25°C - 45°C range). With these values, it is possible to recover the SRI and temperature variations from the wavelength shifts of the LMR and the FBG, constituting a thermo-refractometer, where it is suppressed the effect of the temperature over the refractometer operation, which could cause errors in the fourth or even third decimal of the measured SRI value.
Open Access
Generation of surface plasmon resonance and lossy mode resonance by thermal treatment of ITO thin-films
(Elsevier, 2014) Del Villar, Ignacio; Ruiz Zamarreño, Carlos; Hernáez Sáenz de Zaitigui, Miguel; Sánchez Zábal, Pedro; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa
Silicon wafers coated with IndiumTinOxide (ITO) by application of sputtering technique have been characterized after different post-annealing techniques, showing that this last factor is critical for the quality of the thin-film and for the creation and tuning of both surface plasmon resonances and lossy mode resonances. By adequate selection of the ITO thin-film thickness both resonances can be tracked in the same spectrum, which can be used in sensor and optical communications fields.
Open Access
Lossy mode resonance sensors based on nanocoated multimode-coreless-multimode fibre
(Elsevier, 2020) Vicente Gómara, Adrián; Santano Rivero, Desiree; Zubiate Orzanco, Pablo; Urrutia Azcona, Aitor; Del Villar, Ignacio; Ruiz Zamarreño, Carlos; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, PJUPNA26
In this work it is proved the ability to obtain lossy mode resonances (LMRs) in the transmission spectrum with multimode-coreless-multimode fibre optic structure coated with tin oxide on the coreless segment. The devices were characterized as a function of the surrounding medium refractive index and sensitivities of 7346.93 nm/RIU and 708.57 nm/RIU were attained for the first and the second LMR respectively. As an application proof of this technology, one of the devices was biofunctionalized and used for detecting goat anti-mouse IgG in concentrations ranging from 1 to 40 mg/L, with a limit of detection of 0.6 mg/L. This proves the ability of this simple structure to be used for biological, chemical or environmental applications.
Open Access
Cobalt detection using fluorescent dye layers
(MDPI, 2022) Armenta-Serna, Fernando Arturo; Fuentes-Rubio, Yadira A.; Domínguez Cruz, René; García-Garza, Luis Antonio; Baldovino Pantaleón, Oscar; Ruiz Zamarreño, Carlos; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren
In this paper, we report the preliminary results regarding the use of fluorescent dye calcein (C30H26N2O13) as a sensor for the detection of cobalt levels in aqueous solutions. The sensor cell based on calcein is built by fixed-in layers by means of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and adjusted to pH = 7. The layer shows a fluorescence emission in the range of λ = 545 nm to 570 nm when it is excited by optical fields at a wavelength centered at 465 nm. By the contact of different cobalt concentrations with the calcein layer structure, quenching of the fluorescence intensity is observed. The results indicate that the sensor exhibits a linear response of the fluorescence quenching related to the cobalt concentration level in the range of 10−5 to 10−3 mol/L. Additionally, the proposed sensor has a simple experimental set-up, low cost, and does not require additional complex instrumentation.
Open Access
Optical fiber refractometers based on indium tin oxide coatings with response in the visible spectral region
(Elsevier, 2011) Ruiz Zamarreño, Carlos; López, S.; Hernáez Sáenz de Zaitigui, Miguel; Del Villar, Ignacio; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Ingeniería Eléctrica y Electrónica; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa eta Elektronikoa; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua
This work presents the fabrication of optical fiber refractometers based on indium tin oxide (ITO) coatings with response in the visible spectral region. ITO thin-films have been sputtered by employing a rotating mechanism that enables the fabrication of smooth homogeneous coatings onto the optical fiber core. The ITO coated optical fiber devices present several resonances in the visible and infra-red region. These resonances show high optical power attenuations (more than 10 dB) in the visible spectral region, which produces changes in the colour of the output visible light. Therefore, since these resonances shift as a function of the surrounding medium refractive index (SMRI), it is feasible to determine the refractive index of the outer medium in contact with the ITO coating by simply monitoring the chromatic coordinates of the visible output light.
Embargo
Hyperbolic mode resonance-based acetone optical sensors powered by ensemble learning
(Elsevier, 2024-11-01) Gallego Martínez, Elieser Ernesto; Ruiz Zamarreño, Carlos; Meurs, Joris; Cristescu, Simona M.; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoa eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritza; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
The current work describes and compares the performance of hyperbolic mode resonance (HMR)-based sensors for the detection of acetone at parts per billion (ppb) concentrations using ensemble machine learning (EML) techniques. A pair of HMR based-sensors with resonances located in the visible (VIS) and mid infrared (MIR) regions were obtained in order to train a set of ensemble machine learning models. The response of the detection system formed by both devices in the VIS and MIR regions, with the help of the EML system, allowed the limit of detection (LoD) of the sensors to be reduced by an order of magnitude. It is the first time that HMR-based sensors are shown in practical applications, at the same time that their performance is improved using EML techniques. This opens new avenues for the use of this type of HMR-based sensors for the detection of other substances, in addition to improving the performance of any optoelectronic sensor using EML techniques.
Open Access
All-fiber ellipsometer for nanoscale dielectric coatings
(Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2023) Imas González, José Javier; Matías Maestro, Ignacio; Del Villar, Ignacio; Ozcariz Celaya, Aritz; Ruiz Zamarreño, Carlos; Albert, Jacques; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren
Multiple mode resonance shifts in tilted fiber Bragg gratings (TFBGs) are used to simultaneously measure the thickness and the refractive index of TiO2 thin films formed by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) on optical fibers. This is achieved by comparing the experimental wavelength shifts of 8 TFBG resonances during the deposition process with simulated shifts from a range of thicknesses (T) and values of the real part of the refractive index (n). The minimization of an error function computed for each (n, T) pair then provides a solution for the thickness and refractive index of the deposited film and, a posteriori, to verify the deposition rate throughout the process from the time evolution of the wavelength shift data. Validations of the results were carried out with a conventional ellipsometer on flat witness samples deposited simultaneously with the fiber and with scanning electron measurements on cut pieces of the fiber itself. The final values obtained by the TFBG (n = 2.25, final thickness of 185 nm) were both within 4% of the validation measurements. This approach provides a method to measure the formation of nanoscale dielectric coatings on fibers in situ for applications that require precise thicknesses and refractive indices, such as the optical fiber sensor field. Furthermore, the TFBG can also be used as a process monitor for deposition on other substrates for deposition methods that produce uniform coatings on dissimilar shaped substrates, such as ALD.
Open Access
A comprehensive review: materials for the fabrication of optical fiber refractometers based on lossy mode resonance
(MDPI, 2020) Ozcariz Celaya, Aritz; Ruiz Zamarreño, Carlos; Arregui San Martín, Francisco Javier; Ingeniaritza Elektrikoa, Elektronikoaren eta Telekomunikazio Ingeniaritzaren; Institute of Smart Cities - ISC; Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y de Comunicación; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa, PJUPNA26
Lossy mode resonance based sensors have been extensively studied in recent years. The versatility of the lossy mode resonance phenomenon has led to the development of sensors based on different configurations that make use of a wide range of materials. The coating material is one of the key elements in the performance of a refractometer. This review paper intends to provide a global view of the wide range of coating materials available for the development of lossy mode resonance based refractometers.
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.