Polymer Optical Fiber Application Center
Refine
Document Type
Language
- English (9)
Has Fulltext
- no (9)
Reviewed
- Begutachtet/Reviewed (9) (remove)
Keywords
- Fiber Bragg grating (2)
- Semiconductor lasers (2)
- Fiber sensing (1)
- Humidity sensing (1)
- Laser beams (1)
- Laser spectroscopy (1)
- Measurement by laser beam (1)
- Optical fibers (1)
- PEM fuel cell (1)
- Polymers (1)
Abstract. Many applications in high voltage or explosive environments require sensors which are electrically isolated from other components of a system. These sensors need remote powering as well as wireless or isolated data transmission links. A possible solution can be based on optically powered optical sensor links. These typically employ four different photonic components: for the data communication a fast LED as a transmitter and a photo diode as a receiver, furthermore for sensor powering a high-power light source and a photonic power converter. Additionally, two optical fibers are required for optical remote powering and the optical data link. In this paper we demonstrate an optically powered optical sensor link using only low-cost high-brightness LEDs and a single polymer optical fiber (POF) for all of these tasks. Coupling efficiencies, power transmission and modulation bandwidths are analyzed for LEDs with different colors. Potentials for many mW of electrical remote powering and Mbit s−1 sensor data links are demonstrated over 10 m of POF. This approach can be used for almost any electronic sensor with moderate power requirements.
Scattering Into Guided Modes Due to Imperfect Graded-Index Structure in Polymer Optical Fibers
(2020)
Rayleigh scattering in graded-index polymer optical fibers (GI-POF) is studied under the assumption that spherical scatterers are uniformly distributed within the layers of concentric ring structure. This approximation allows to describe typical imperfections occurring during the fabrication of GI-POFs. For the purpose of experimental characterization by side illumination, an analytical model of the light conversion into waveguide modes has been developed. This model describes the mode excitation by a multiplicative contribution of three different physical mechanisms. The corresponding experimental analysis of the light scattering has been performed and compared with numerical simulation results for the fibers with single-ring and multi-ring structures. Besides the application to GI-POFs, this article can be also applied to multi-step index fibers.
Optical frequency tuning ranges up to 600 GHz or 4.8 nm have been achieved within microseconds and a standard telecom DFB laser diode operating at 1550 nm. The dynamic optical frequency tuning is induced by electrical current pulse injection and measured using an interferometric setup. Potentially, low-cost sensor systems based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) or coherent optical frequency domain reflectometry (c-OFDR) could be realized, achieving sub-mm two-point range resolution or even better single-point range precision within a few microseconds for a single measurement.
Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor technology is expected to make an important contribution to extending the lifetime of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. It allows accurate measurements of in-situ operating temperature and humidity, which is essential for an accurate control of both. For these applications an accurate and reliable calibration is crucial. This paper demonstrates the successful use of a 2x2 factorial calibration method for calibration of two standard FBGs for application in a PEM fuel cell. The calibrated low-cost FBG sensor allows temperature and humidity measurements with a RMS error (RMSE) of 0.45°C and 4.8 %RH, respectively.
Absolute spectral backscatter measurements of large-core multimode PMMA polymer optical fibers
(2021)
To our knowledge, we are the first to measure the absolute value of the backscattering coefficient of a standard 1 mm core-diameter, multimode (MM) step-index (SI) polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) polymer optical fiber (POF) for the spectral range of 450 nm to 700 nm. Our optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) setup consists of a femtosecond supercontinuum laser with an acousto-optical filter as a tunable light source with short pulses and a time-correlated single-photon counting system as a receiver with a high dynamic range. The backscattering coefficient is calculated from the ratio between the energy within the fiber end reflex and the distributed backscattering level. We also measured the spectral attenuation with our OTDR setup and compared it with a standardized measurement method. At the attenuation minima within the measured spectral range the backscattering level of a 1 ns pulse is about −46 dB at 520 nm, −48 dB at 570 nm, and −51 dB at 650 nm. We were also able to show by the observed wavelength dependence that Rayleigh scattering causes a majority of the scattering.
To guaranty a safe load transfer through adhesively bonded joints, Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) methods that allow for permanent monitoring of the structural bond condition, are becoming more and more important. To meet this increasing demand, a novel approach for SHM of adhesively bonded joints by use of integrated Polymer Optical Fibers (POF) has been demonstrated in previous work. The sensor operating principle is based on strain transfer from the structural adhesive to the integrated POF. This strain transfer leads to a deformation of the POF cross-sectional shape and in that way affects the optical light propagation in the POF.
In the current work, numerical and experimental results are presented into the mechanical behavior of embedded POF in adhesive bulk specimens subjected to tensile loading. Local deformations of both the POF (Asahi Kasei DB 500) and the structural adhesive (3 M Scotch Weld DP410) are evaluated using Digital Image Correlation (DIC). In the loading direction, a linear correlation is shown between strain inside the POF core and strain of the surrounding adhesive. Tests results, as well as fracture analysis, show a highly ductile behavior and failure of the POF cladding material and the interface between the POF core and annular cladding.
Abstract. A wavelength tuning range up to 12 nm has been achieved
over 12 µs pump current pulses within a usable time of 10 µs applied to VCSELs operating in the near infrared around 1550 nm. The instantaneous optical frequency shift has been measured with an interferometric setup; the overall tuning range has then been verified with an optical spectrum analyzer. The repetition rate of the current pulses can
be as high as 20 kHz with almost no influence on the sweep parameters. These
results can be used for fast spectroscopic gas analysis or for rapid interferometric swept-source distance sensors.
