High sensitivity temperature sensor based on a helically twisted photonic crystal fiber

Helically twisted photonic crystal fibers (HT-PCFs) provide additional opportunities for controlling the light propagation characteristics and improving the sensing performances. In this paper, a toluene and gold wire-filled HT-PCF was proposed and designed for high sensitivity temperature sensing. The influences of the structure parameters on the confinement loss, sensitivity, and resolution of the proposed HT-PCF were investigated. For the optimized HT-PCF, the average sensitivity is as high as 14.35 and 17.29 nm/degrees C in the temperature range of -20 to 20 degrees C and 20 to 70 degrees C, respectively. Moreover, the proposed HT-PCF-based temperature sensor is insensitive to the hydrostatic pressure. Finally, the detailed fabrication process of the toluene and gold wire-filled HT-PCF temperature sensor is proposed. It is believed that the proposed HT-PCF temperature sensor has potential applications in the fields of the environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, etc.

Automated summary

Helically twisted photonic crystal fibers (HT-PCFs) offer additional possibilities for controlling light propagation and enhancing sensing capabilities. This paper proposes a toluene and gold wire-filled HT-PCF for high sensitivity temperature sensing, investigating the influences of structure parameters. The optimized HT-PCF shows high sensitivity in different temperature ranges and is insensitive to hydrostatic pressure, with potential applications in environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics.