Highly Repeatable Polarization Maintaining Optical Fiber Evanescent Sensor Fabrication Method

摘要

We present a new method for controlling the cladding thickness of etched Polarization Maintaining Fiber based sensor in order to precisely control the sensitivity and the optical characteristics of the sensor. This method is based on the experimental measurement of the chemical etching rates of the fiber materials by measuring longitudinal etching rates of doped materials by perpendicular immersion of a polarization maintaining optical fibre probe under the same operating conditions and manufacturing of the sensors. Computer blob tracking are used to precise measurement of both cladding and stress parts etching rates of Panda-type polarization maintaining optical fibre. The experimental etching rates are used in an algorithm to simulate the geometry of the etched fibre sensor in real-time. A high degree of sensor sensitivity repeatability has been achieved with a resolution on the cladding thickness better than 0.4um.