Differential-pressure-based fiber-optic temperature sensor using Fabry-Perot interferometry

We propose a novel fiber-optic Fabry-Perot interferometric (FFPI) temperature sensor based on differential pressure resulting from thermal expansion of sealed air. A thin silicon diaphragm is sandwiched between two micro-circular cavity-structured Pyrex plates to construct a FP and an air cavity. The thermal expansion of sealed air induces differential pressure variation between cavities and thus the deformation of thin diaphragm, which transfers temperature change into cavity length shift of FP interferometer. Theory analysis results indicate that the temperature-sensitivity can be designed flexibly by choosing the parameters of radius and thickness of silicon diaphragm, and the differential pressure between two cavities. Experimental results demonstrate that the temperature sensitivity of 6.07 nm/degrees C is achieved with the resolution of 0.10 degrees C under the range of -50 degrees C to 100 degrees C, and the response time is around 1.3 s with temperature change from 28 degrees C to 100 degrees C. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America