Characterization of Long-period Grating Refractive Index Sensors and Their Applications

The influence of grating length and bend radius of long-period gratings (LPGs) on refractive index sensing was examined. Sensitivity to refractive indexes smaller than that of silica could be enhanced by bending LPGs. Bent LPGs lost sensitivity to refractive indexes higher than that of silica, where...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kei Urabe, Hiroshi Tsuda
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2009-06-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/9/6/4559/
Description
Summary:The influence of grating length and bend radius of long-period gratings (LPGs) on refractive index sensing was examined. Sensitivity to refractive indexes smaller than that of silica could be enhanced by bending LPGs. Bent LPGs lost sensitivity to refractive indexes higher than that of silica, whereas a 20-mm-long LPG arranged in a straight line had considerable sensitivity. These experimental results demonstrated that the sensitivity characteristics of LPGs to refractive index could be controlled by grating length and bend radius.
ISSN:1424-8220