Fiber Optic Sensors

David Gunther
Applied Optics
10 March 2005

How they work

Fiber optic sensors
measure properties of
their environment.
They can measure
anything which
changes the way light
travels through the
fiber, or alters the
lights properties.

What can they measure?

Temperature
Pressure
Strain
Displacement
Acceleration
Flow rate
Vibration
Chemical concentrations
Electrical and Magnetic Fields
Rotation rate

Methods of Measurement
Amplitude- and Intensity-Based Sensors
Frequency- and Wavelength-Varying
Sensors
Polarization and Phase-Modulating FiberOptic Sensing

Intensity-Based Sensors
Detect changes in
light intensity,
correlate change to
change in pressure,
or temperature, etc.
These systems have a poor ability to screen
noise, leading to lower precision, but are
simple and inexpensive systems.

Frequency- and WavelengthVarying Sensors

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.

Wavelength-Varying Sensors
Fiber Bragg Grating: most common type.
Characteristic reflected light wavelength dependent on
grating spacing. Stress applied to fiber changes spacing.

Polarization and Phase-Modulating

Fiber-Optic Sensing
Polarization modulation sensors are the most
complicated and delicate instruments.
Use Faraday Effect to measure magnetic fields, by
measuring polarization rotation.
Polarization unintentionally altered by other processes:
bending, stretching, and twisting causes problems.

Advantages of Fiber Sensors

Many sensing applications could use mechanical or
electronic sensors, but fiber sensors have advantages for
some applications.
Explosive environments- no electricity to start fires
(ie. pressure sensors in rocket fuel tanks).

Corrosive environments- silica fiber is chemically resistant,

unlike copper.
Hot environments- many of these sensors work above 750
F. (400 C) The sensor can be cast into aluminum metal.
Remote sensing- signal detection/processing can be done
miles from active part of fiber sensor.
Small size! 125um fiber same thickness as 36 AWG wire.

Industrial Use: Oil Wells

Oil well temperature monitoring: measures

temperature at 1 meter intervals along 10 km
deep well pipes, with 0.1 C accuracy. With just
a single fiber!

Fiber-Optic Gyroscope
Uses phase difference
between two beams
circling a fiber loop in
opposite directions to
very precisely
measure rotation rate.
Precision better than
0.1 deg./hr readily
done: can measure
Earths rotation rate.

Fiber gyros can be

made extremely
durable: they
withstand being fired
in mortar shells.

I-FOG Sensitivity examples

The sensitivity can be scaled by changing the
loop area:
A high-sensitivity I-FOG with
10 cm diameter loop, with 1 km fiber length, and 1550
nm light provided an Wp of 133/s, and an W of
0.15/h respectively.

A medium-sensitivity I-FOG with L, D, and l of

3 cm diameter loop, with 200 m fiber length, 850 nm
light provided an Omega pi of 1220/s, and an
Omega of 1.4/h respectively.

Summary
There are several characteristics of optical fibers
that allow them to be used for sensors. These
include micro bending, interferometric effects,
refractive index change, polarization change,
fiber length change, fiber diffraction grating
effects, and the Sagnac effect (light traveling in
opposite directions around a loop used to sense
rotation).