Comparison between Different Structures of Suspended-Core Microstructured Optical Fibers for Volatiles Sensing

Abstract

In this paper, different core structures of microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) for low-finesse Fabry–Pérot (FP) sensors are experimentally compared to get the highest sensitivity. These devices are designed for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) measurements. Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited by sputtering on the MOFs and different optical fast Fourier transform (FFT) phase responses from the FP were measured for saturated atmospheres of ethanol. It has been demonstrated that the sensitivities of the developed sensors depend strongly on the geometry and the dimensions of the MOF-cores. The sensors show recovery times shorter than 100 s and the baselines are fully recovered after every exposure to ethanol vapors.

Keywords

• microstructured optical fiber (MOF)
• low-finesse Fabry–Pérot (FP)
• volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• indium tin oxide (ITO)
• evanescent field