High sensitivity all-fiber Sagnac interferometer temperature sensor using a selective ethanol-filled photonic crystal fiber

Abstract

An all-fiber Sagnac temperature sensor based on 3 dB tapered coupling and ethanol selective-filled photonic crystal fiber was demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. The ethanol selectivity-filled photonic crystal fiber has noncircular symmetry and thus exhibits birefringence. The ethanol selective-filled photonic crystal fiber, acting as the sensing element, was inserted in a Sagnac loop interferometer to measure temperature. The output spectra of Sagnac interferometer applied different temperatures were measured and analyzed. Experimental results have shown the temperature sensitivity of the Sagnac interferometer is 1.65 nm/°C in the range of 25–33°C.