Dr.A.Sivanantha Raja M.E., Ph.D.

,
Associate Professor of ECE .,
ACCET., Karaikudi – 4.

sivanantharaja@yahoo.com
 Introduction
 Why optical sensors?
 Principles of optical sensors
 Classification of FOS
 Fundamental components
 Modulators
 Applications
 Future directions of sensors technologies.
 References
 New revolution of optical fiber sensors.

 It is a “SPIN-OFF” from other optical

technologies.

 Seeing the potential in sensing applications –

developed as its own field.
 Non-electric (immune to electromagnetic and radio-
frequency interference)
 Withstand high temperature and harsh environments
(corrosion)
 High shock survivability. (explosion or extreme
vibration)
 high accuracy and sensitivity.
 light weight and small size.
 high capacity and signal purity.
 multiplexing capacity and
 Can be easily interfaced with data communication
systems
 Temperature
 Pressure
 Strain
 Displacement
 Acceleration
 Flow rate
 Vibration
 Chemical concentrations
 Electrical and Magnetic Fields
 Rotation rate
Few, high-priced Low-cost basic Low-cost
components, components, complex
laser diodes, laser diodes components,
micro-optics pigtailed, fiber mass
beam splitters produced
integrated
optics
Fiber optic Hundreds of Fiber optic SHM
structural and civil structure systems are
health monitoring installations, mandated on
(SHM) systems on aerospace fiber new civil and
about 100 bridges, aerospace
optic SHM
aerospace SHM structures
moves to level 8
technology moves
toward level 6 and 9 with
initial
deployments
• Light beam changes by the phenomena that is being
measured.
• Light may change in its five optical properties., i.e.
Intensity, Phase, Polarization, Wavelength and
spectral distribution.
EP(t)cos[ωpt+θ(t)]
•Intensity based sensor – EP (t)
•Frequency varying sensors - ωP(t)
•Phase modulating sensors- θ(t)
 A. Based on sensing characteristics of fibers
Intrinsic

Optical fiber

Environmental
signal
 Intrinsic sensors are different, in that the light
beam does not leave the optical fiber but is
changed whilst still contained within it.
 Extrinsic
 Where the light leaves the feed or
transmitting fiber to the changed before it
continues to the detector by means of the
return or receiving fiber
Input Output
Light
fiber fiber
modulator

Environmental signal
A. Based on application areas:
• physical sensors (measurement of temperature,
stress, strain etc)
• chemical sensors (measurement of pH content,
gas analysis, spectroscopic studies, etc.)
• biomedical sensors (measurement of blood flow ,
glucose content, etc.)
B. Based on modulation and demodulation
process:
• Intensity-modulated sensors
– Light is required to exit the fiber at the sensor
(optical loss)
– simpler in design
– more economical
– widespread in application
 Moving
mirror

Pin Pin Pout

FIBER
Pout FIBER FIBER
L
L
Pout ∞ L

Used as distance or pressure Used as strain or distance sensors

sensors

Reflection type Transmission type

• Phase-modulated sensors
– compare the phase of light in a sensing fiber to a
reference fiber in a device called interferometer.
– Light is not required to exit the fiber at the sensor
(no optical loss)
– more complex in design
– better sensitivity and resolution
 output of the sensor
I= A+ B cosΔφ

Where Δφ = (2π/λ)nL = k nL
and [nL– Optical path distance]

(dΔφ/ Δφ) = (dk/k) + (dn/n) + (dL/L)

 In an interferometer based sensor

dk, dn and dL→ dΔφ
Polarization-modulated sensors

 Polarization modulation sensors are the most

complicated and delicate instruments.
 Uses Faraday Effect to measure magnetic field, by
measuring polarization rotation.
 Polarization unintentionally altered by other
processes: bending, stretching, and twisting causes
problems.
• Spectrally-modulated sensors
– measures the changes in the wavelength of
the light due to the environmental effects.

 Map changes in frequency or wavelength to

parameter of interest.

 Low alteration of signal outside of sensing area.

 Wavelength measurement is very sensitive; not
strongly affected by light loss in connections, or
source intensity fluctuations.
 Fiber Bragg Grating: most common type.
◦ Characteristic reflected light wavelength dependent on
grating spacing. Stress applied to fiber changes spacing
 Extrinsic sensors
APPLICATIONS- TEMPERATURE,
PRESSURE,LIQUID LEVEL AND
FLOW.
LESS SENSITIVE
EASILY MULTIPLEXED
Intrinsic sensors
APPLICATIONS- ROTATION,
ACCELERATION, STRAIN,
ACOUSTIC PRESSURE AND
VIBRATION
MORE SENSITIVE
TOUGHER TO MULTIPLEX

INGRESS/ EGRESS CONNECTION REDUCES CONNECTION

PROBLEMS PROBLEMS

EASIER TO USE MORE ELABORATE SIGNAL

DEMODULATION

LESS EXPENSIVE MORE EXPENSIVE

 Optical fiber (SI,GI)
 Light sources (LASER,LED)
 Beam conditioning optics (Lenses, couplers)
 Modulators
 Detectors (PIN,APD..)
 Modulators are the essential component in
the extrinsic FOS systems. It can be
classified as follows
 Electro-optical Modulator
 Magneto-optical Modulator
 Acousto-optical Modulator
 Mechanical Modulator
 Electrode

Fiber

Integrated optic waveguide

 When an Electric field is applied across an optical
medium, the distribution of electrons within it is
distorted and the refractive index of the medium
changes anisotropically.
 The change in refractive index as a function of
the applied field can be obtained from

 Where r = linear electro-optic coefficient

 and P = quadratic electro-optic coefficient

 First term is associated with Pockel’s effect

 Second term is from Kerr effect.
Δɸ = (π/λ)Lro3V
L

Emergent
light

Incident light

V
 Vertically
polarized Θ=vBL
light P2
P1 Magnet coil 45o

Incident light

Faraday medium

Vertical Faraday rotation

Polarizer Mirror
Polarizer at 45o to
vertical
 Acousto
optic
medium

Incident
optical wave Λ
front
Acoustic wave
fronts

Acoustic wave
changes the refractive
index of the medium
in a periodic way

λ
Acoustic
wave
 Zero order

Sinθi = sinθd
2θd
= mλ/2Λ
θi
Incident light
beam

First order

Modulating
Piezo electric signal
transducer
 The acoustic waves which create the
diffraction grating, are of course moving
through the medium. Thus frequency of the
reflected beam is changed by Doppler effect
and is given by
 v’ = vo[1±2vao/(c/n)] where vao is the velocity
of acoustic wave along the original beam
direction and n is the medium refractive index.
 The frequency shift thus is
 Δv = v’-vo= ± 2vovaon/c
 If the light is incident at an angle θi=θd then,
vao=va sin θd where va is the acoustic wave
velocity.
 So, Δv = v’-vo= ± 2vovasin θd (n/c)
 1.

Constriction

 2.

Expansion
 The potential ranges of application of fiber-optic
sensors and of systems of fiber-optic sensors are
as follows:
 Aviation and space industries, transportation,
medicine and biotechnology, power industry,
construction, geo-technology, environmental
monitoring, and communications networks.
 Most fiber sensors are employed in monitoring
processes. However, the number of applications
of sensors for health care monitoring and for
chemical and biochemical measurements has
grown in recent years due to the creation of
distributed and multiplexed fiber-optic
measurement systems.
 At the present time, the greatest demand for
fiber-optic sensors is found in the following
fields:

 Civil engineering: interference and Bragg

voltage sensors in bridges, dams, and
mineshafts, monitoring the shift in the
ground at airports, measurement of
vibrations and acoustic waves (embedding of
fiber sensors in concrete or sheathing of fiber
sensors);
 For geotechnical monitoring and
environmental protection:
 use of distributed Raman-type fiber-optic
temperature sensors (i.e., based on the
Raman effect) to monitor pipelines, the
presence of gas in subways, dumps, and
boreholes;
 Bragg voltage sensors buried in rock that
supports structures, tunnels, and mineshafts
that serve for safety monitoring;
 seismic monitoring in deep-sea boreholes
and volcanoes using light-guide–based laser
micro-interferometry.
 For the electric power industry: fiber-optic
current and voltage sensors for power
equipment; Bragg-type temperature and
vibration sensors in power generators and
transformers; Raman sensors for voltage
monitoring in high-voltage cables combined
into optical light-guide–based
communications lines
 For the aerospace industry: application of
Bragg-type voltage and temperature sensors
in the design of NASA space vehicles; fiber
sensors embedded in composite materials for
the determination of the structure of aircraft
and mobile systems;
 For medicine and biochemical measurements:
the use of fiber-optic sensors for monitoring
of radiation, real-time monitoring of the
respiratory flow in the trachea, for the
measurement of oxygen in the blood,
hydrocarbon, nano-optrodes in genomics,
seawater monitoring, and in biosensor
measurement systems.
Narrow band filter Blackbody
cavity

Lens

Optical fiber

Detector
Black body
radiation
Liquid
 Encoder card
1
2
3
Light source WDMs

Detectors
1 2 3
 Uses phase
difference between
two beams circling
a fiber loop in
opposite directions
to very precisely
measure rotation
rate.
◦ Precision better than  Fiber gyros can be
0.1 deg/hr readily made extremely
done: can measure durable: they
Earth’s rotation rate. withstand being
fired in mortar
shells.
 Oil well temperature monitoring: measures
temperature at 1 meter intervals along 10 km
deep well pipes, with 0.1º C accuracy. With
just a single fiber!
 Fibre Optic pH Sensor :

 Recently we have developed a highly sensitive

evanescent wave fibre optic sensor for the
measurement of pH of a solution.
 This is done by immobilizing a pH sensitive dye (BCP
as well as BCG) on the unclad portion of the optic
fibre in a sole-gel matrix. The sensitivity of some of
the this fibre optic pH sensors, has been found to be
low, as there is only a 20%.
 So ,a new method, called the multiple sol-gel coating
technique has different layers of sol-gel thin films
containing the pH sensing dye are coated one over
the other on the unclad region of the fibre. The
sensitivity of the device is found to increase by 70% .
 Microbend Fibre Sensor :
 Microbend sensors are based on coupling and
leakage of modes that are propagating in a
deformed fibre.
 Usually one achieves this deformation by
employing corrugated plates that deforms the
fibre into a series of sharp bend with small
bending radii.
 A highly sensitive chemical sensor is developed
by inducing permanent microbends on a bare
plastic optical fibre. By carefully choosing the
reagents this microbend sensor can be used to
detect different chemical species.
 The fiber optic wing shape
sensor team is testing its
work, which will compare a
fiber optic-based system
with conventional sensors
in flight. The sensors,
located along a cable the
thickness of a human hair,
aren't visible in the center
of the wing, but could have
ramifications for all future
aircraft and spacecraft.

Measuring up to the
Flight’s wing
Gold Standard
 Opportunities for taking up research works in
FOS are many.
 Mechanical or Civil or Electrical or Biomedical
or Communication Engineers….
 Who ever uses SENSORS for their application,
may think of replacing the existing system
with state of the art Fiber optic sensors and
test the performance of the new system.
 Researchers all along the World have proved
that the FOS have outperformed the existing
sensor systems on all fronts.
 Special waveguides, such as photonic
crystal fibers, will enable many new
sensing mechanisms and sensor
configurations.
 Improved micro-fabrication technologies
will continue to improve sensor
performance, functionality, reliability and
capability of harsh environment
operation.
 Advanced signal processing and network
technology will enable high density fiber
optic sensor networks.