Towards an integrated groundbreaking photonic crystal fiber sensor for reliable measurements of 3-D stretch fields and shear stresses in materials and structures (FWOKN258)

In this project we design and develop an optical fiber sensor for temperature-insensitive axial strain measurements and improve the repeatability of micro- and nanomachining with femtosecond lasers in silica and polymer photonic crystal fibers (PCFs). The goal is twofold: first we want to overcome the cross-sensitivity to temperature of conventional fiber Bragg grating based sensors with a low-cost, integrated microphotonic sensor system. To achieve this we will integrate a unique selectivity mechanism for axial strain in the optical waveguide properties of a novel PCF design. More in particular we will tailor the PCF’s internal microstructure to maximize the role of the dispersion properties of the guided modes in their overall strain sensitivity.
Second, we target significant improvements in understanding and controlling the refractive index modulations in silica and polymer PCFs induced by femtosecond lasers. Careful gradient-like adjustments of the PCF’s microstructure will allow an unprecedented position and orientation tolerance for the optical fiber with respect to the inscribing femtosecond laser pulses. This achievement will trigger a breakthrough in the repeatability of laser-inscribed modulations with feature sizes from the nano- to the micron scale (e.g. fiber Bragg gratings) in PCFs.

Keywords:Holography, Non-Linear Optics, Photonics, Optival Instrumentation, Optical Computing, Semiconductor Technology, Optical Switches And Modulators, Optical Fibre Sensors, Optical Measurements, Optical Materials, Optical Interconnects, Optical Instrumentation, Vcsels, Micro-Optics, Opto-Electronic Devices, Plastic Photonics

Disciplines:Physical sciences, Mathematical sciences and statistics, Electrical and electronic engineering