High-resolution spectrally-resolved fiber optic sensor interrogation system based on a standard DWDM laser module

Abstract

This paper presents a spectrally-resolved integration system suitable for the reading of Bragg grating, all-fiber Fabry-Perot, and similar spectrally-resolved fiber-optic sensors. This system is based on a standard telecommunication dense wavelength division multiplexing transmission module that contains a distributed feedback laser diode and a wavelength locker. Besides the transmission module, only a few additional opto-electronic components were needed to build an experimental interrogation system that demonstrated over a 2 nm wide wavelength interrogation range, and a 1 pm wavelength resolution. When the system was combined with a typical Bragg grating sensor, a strain resolution of 1 με and temperature resolution of 0.1 °C were demonstrated experimentally. The proposed interrogation system relies entirely on Telecordia standard compliant photonic components and can thus be straightforwardly qualified for use within the range of demanding applications.

Ultra Small Integrated Optical Fiber Sensing System

“…Using MEMS technology, it is possible to extend the tuning range of the VCSEL increasing the number of addressable multiplexed sensing points [10,11]. Other types of laser diodes can also be used to perform wavelength tuning enabling fiber sensor interrogation [12]. Alternatively, tunable optical filters have been applied on broadband light sources or detectors, such as a driving superluminescent LED [13] or a read-out photodetector [14].…”

Ultrawide broadband photonic source based on a new design of mode-locked erbium-doped fibre laser

“…Fast sweeping lasers could also be suitable sources, providing an elevated spectral power over an extended spectral region. However, they require precise control of their emission wavelength [6][7][8], which usually results in being difficult due to drifts, and consequently, increasing the economic cost of these devices.…”

A Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor Interrogation System Based on a Linearly Wavelength-Swept Thermo-Optic Laser Chip

“…To extract either the wavelength or bandwidth information from an FBG sensor, the majority of spectroscopic interrogation techniques have used a spectrometer detection system using a diffraction grating and CCD detector, which may increase the cost of the system and the size of the free-space optics. Some kinds of low-complexity FBG interrogation systems based on light source interrogation techniques have also been reported, such as a current-modulated vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) [ 12 ] or a dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) transmission module [ 13 ]. Though both systems show cost-effective interrogation performance, the wavelength ranges were limited to only around a few nm range.…”