Sensitivity adjustable in-line high-temperature sensor based on metal microwire optical Fabry-Perot interferometer

TL;DR

This paper introduces a high-temperature fiber optic sensor using a metal microwire inside a hollow core fiber, achieving high sensitivity and robustness for temperatures up to 440°C.

Contribution

It presents a novel metal microwire-based Fabry-Perot interferometer that allows adjustable sensitivity and high-temperature operation, overcoming limitations of silica and polymer cavities.

Findings

Sensitivity > -0.35nm/°C from 50°C to 440°C

Operates at temperatures up to 1400°C due to metal microwire

Simple, economical, and robust fabrication

Abstract

The optical fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) has been widely investigated as a potential temperature sensor. To function as a temperature sensor, the cavity of the FPI is typically constructed from either silica fibers or polymers. The silica cavity FPIs can function at temperatures exceeding 1000{\deg}C. However, its temperature sensitivity is constrained by its relatively low thermal optical coefficient and thermal expansion of silica materials. Although the polymer cavity FPI exhibits a high temperature sensitivity, its cavity is susceptible to deterioration in high-temperature environments. Here, to overcome this challenge and achieve high-sensitivity temperature sensing in a high-temperature environment, we propose a new type of temperature FPI sensor by inserting and sealing a section of Cr20Ni80 metal microwire inside a section of silica hollow core fiber (HCF) spliced to standard single-mode fiber (SMF). The FPIs exhibit a high degree of temperature sensitivity due to the high thermal expansion of the Cr20Ni80 metal microwire. Since the Cr20Ni80 metal has a high melting temperature of 1400{\deg}C, such FPIs can function in high-temperature environments. Moreover, the temperature sensitivity of this FPI can be modified without affecting its reflection spectrum by changing the length of the metallic microwire situated within the hollow core fiber. The experimental results indicate that the proposed FPIs exhibit a temperature sensitivity greater than -0.35nm/{\deg}C within the temperature range of 50{\deg}C to 440{\deg}C. Our proposed metal microwire-based FPIs are economical, robust, simple to fabricate, and capable of functioning in high-temperature environments, rendering them appealing options for practical applications