Fiber Microsphere Coupled in a Taper for a Large Curvature Range
Paulo Robalinho,
Orlando Frazão
Affiliations
Paulo Robalinho
P. Robalinho and O. Frazão are with the INESC TEC and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of the University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
Orlando Frazão
P. Robalinho and O. Frazão are with the INESC TEC and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of the University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 687 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
This work consists of using an optical fiber microsphere as a sensor for a wide range of curvature radii. The microsphere was manufactured in a standard fiber with an electric arc. In order to maximize system efficiency, the microsphere was spliced in the center of a taper. This work revealed that the variations of the wavelength where the maxima and minima of the spectrum are located varies linearly with the curvature of the system with a maximum sensitive of 580 ± 20 (pm km). This is because the direction of the input beam in the microsphere depends on the system curvature, giving rise to interferometric variations within the microsphere.
