RESUMO
We propose and demonstrate an inline fiber optic power sensor (IFPS) resorting to an embedded waveguide tap, which is formed to traverse across the cladding and core of a standard single-mode fiber. The tap was produced via a single-step inscription based on the femtosecond laser direct-writing method. A tightly focused pulsed laser beam has been particularly exploited to suppress the elongation along the laser propagation direction, thereby improving the cross-sectional symmetry of the created tap waveguide. The fabricated fiber optic tap has been stably combined with a photodiode via a compact package. The achieved tap ratio could be tuned from 1.0% to 5.9% at the wavelength of 1550 nm by adjusting the applied laser power, while the induced excess loss was kept below 0.6 dB. The proposed IFPS will be highly suitable for real-time power monitoring in a variety of applications, including optical communication networks and systems.
RESUMO
A highly sensitive electro-optic (EO) probe has been proposed and realized by tethering an ultra-high-quality (Q)-factor LiNbO3 etalon to a single-mode fiber operating at around a 1550-nm wavelength. For the adopted EO etalon, the electric-field-induced refractive index modification is deemed to shift its own spectral response. An electrical modulation signal is anticipated to be produced when a probe light beam with a fixed bias wavelength impinges upon the EO etalon. The EO etalon is particularly required to exhibit a remarkably steep spectral response and thus facilitate modulation efficiency. In aiming to scrutinize the performance in terms of sensitivity, two EO probes involving profoundly different Q-factors were prepared and applied to detect the electric field emitted from a microstrip device. It was confirmed that the sensitivity could be efficiently enhanced by as much as 28 dB by boosting the Q-factor 18 times when a probe light beam operating at =â¼1550 nm was properly collimated and polarized. Accordingly, the minimum detectable signal was successfully diminished.