Loss of Oxygen Atoms on Well-Oxidized Cobalt by Heterogeneous Surface Recombination.

Calorimetry is a commonly used method in plasma characterization, but the accuracy of the method is tied to the accuracy of the recombination coefficient, which in turn depends on a number of surface effects. Surface effects also govern the kinetics in advanced methods such as atomic layer oxidation of inorganic materials and functionalization of organic materials. The flux of the reactive oxygen atoms for the controlled oxidation of such materials depends on the recombination coefficient of materials placed into the reaction chamber, which in turn depends on the surface morphology, temperature, and pressure in the processing chamber. The recombination coefficient of a well-oxidized cobalt surface was studied systematically in a range of temperatures from 300 to 800 K and pressures from 40 to 200 Pa. The coefficient increased monotonously with decreasing pressure and increasing temperature. The lowest value was about 0.05, and the highest was about 0.30. These values were measured for cobalt foils previously oxidized with oxygen plasma at the temperature of 1300 K. The oxidation caused a rich morphology with an average roughness as deduced from atomic force images of 0.9 µm. The results were compared with literature data, and the discrepancy between results reported by different authors was explained by taking into account the peculiarities of their experimental conditions.

A Microfluidic, Flow-Through, Liquid Reagent Fluorescence Sensor Applied to Oxygen Concentration Measurement.

A concept of a microfluidic fluorescent chemical sensing system is presented and demonstrated as a sensor for measurement of dissolved oxygen in water. The system utilizes on-line mixing of a fluorescent reagent with the analyzed sample, while it measures the fluorescence decay time of the mixture. The system is built entirely out of silica capillaries and optical fibers, and allows for very low consumption of the reagent (of the order of mL/month) and the analyzed sample (of the order of L/month). The proposed system can, thus, be applied to continuous on-line measurements, while utilizing a broad variety of different and proven fluorescent reagents or dyes. The proposed system allows for the use of relatively high-excitation light powers, as the flow-through concept of the system reduces the probability of the appearance of bleaching, heating, or other unwanted effects on the fluorescent dye/reagent caused significantly by the excitation light. The high amplitudes of fluorescent optical signals captured by an optical fiber allow for low-noise and high-bandwidth optical signal detection, and, consequently, the possibility for utilization of reagents with nanosecond fluorescent lifetimes.

A Review of Recombination Coefficients of Neutral Oxygen Atoms for Various Materials.

Relevant data on heterogeneous surface recombination of neutral oxygen atoms available in the scientific literature are reviewed and discussed for various materials. The coefficients are determined by placing the samples either in non-equilibrium oxygen plasma or its afterglow. The experimental methods used to determine the coefficients are examined and categorized into calorimetry, actinometry, NO titration, laser-induced fluorescence, and various other methods and their combinations. Some numerical models for recombination coefficient determination are also examined. Correlations are drawn between the experimental parameters and the reported coefficients. Different materials are examined and categorized according to reported recombination coefficients into catalytic, semi-catalytic, and inert materials. Measurements from the literature of the recombination coefficients for some materials are compiled and compared, along with the possible system pressure and material surface temperature dependence of the materials' recombination coefficient. A large scattering of results reported by different authors is discussed, and possible explanations are provided.

An All-Fiber Fabry-Pérot Sensor for Emulsion Concentration Measurements.

This paper describes a Fabry-Pérot sensor-based measuring system for measuring fluid composition in demanding industrial applications. The design of the sensor is based on a two-parametric sensor, which enables the simultaneous measurement of temperature and refractive index (RI). The system was tested under real industrial conditions, and enables temperature-compensated online measurement of emulsion concentration with a high resolution of 0.03 Brix. The measuring system was equipped with filtering of the emulsion and automatic cleaning of the sensor, which proved to be essential for successful implementation of a fiber optic RI sensor in machining emulsion monitoring applications.

Nano-strain resolution fiber-optic Fabry-Perot sensors compatible with moderate/low resolution VIS-NIR spectrometers.

This paper reports on nano-strain resolution fiber-optic Fabry-Perot sensors produced by an improved selective etching method. The presented sensors exhibit high spectral sensitivity, low intrinsic temperature response, small size and mounting comparable to conventional Fiber Bragg gratings. Furthermore, the proposed sensors can be read-out by a combination of cost-efficient and widely available VIS/NIR spectrometers and LEDs used in lighting/automotive applications. A strain resolution of 1 nɛ was demonstrated when using a high-end FBG signal interrogator, while the application of a cost-efficient VIS spectrometer still yielded a strain resolution of about 20-70 nɛ. When applying suitable temperature compensation, absolute measurements with the nano-strain range are also plausible.

Miniature magneto-optic angular position sensor.

This Letter describes a miniature Fabry-Perot, contactless, magneto-optic sensor for angular position measurement. The sensor utilizes a magneto-optic fluid comprising barium hexaferrite nanoplatelets that become birefringent in the presence of an external magnetic field and a compact fiber-optic sensor system for tracking the liquid's optical axis direction. An efficient temperature compensation system is provided which allows the use of otherwise highly temperature-sensitive magneto-optic liquids. An unambiguous measurement range of 90° and a resolution of better than 0.05° are demonstrated experimentally.

Resonant-Opto-Thermomechanical Oscillator (ROTMO): A Low-Power, Large Displacement, High-Frequency Optically Driven Microactuator.

A light-driven micromechanical oscillator is presented, which can be operated by a low optical power (in the mW, or even the µW range), can produce large mechanical displacements (>5-100 µm), and can be designed to operate at frequencies from sub-kHz up to more than 200 kHz. The actuation of the oscillator is achieved by an asymmetrically metal-coated optical microwire configured into a silica micromechanical oscillator. The metalized optical microwire confines and absorbs the light strongly over a short distance, which results in a controlled optical power conversion into heat, and, consequently, into mechanical actuation through the temperature rise and the difference in thermal expansions of the silica microwire and the asymmetrically applied metal layer. Mechanical displacements are amplified further by the resonance operation of the oscillator, which is driven by a low-power, harmonic optical excitation signal generated by a current-modulated laser diode. Proper selection of the micromechanical oscillator's geometrical configuration and materials allows for a high-frequency operation at large mechanical displacements of the oscillator, while relying on low excitation optical power. The presented concept of a fully optically driven micromechanical oscillator may, thus, present a basis for realization of new classes of actuated micro-opto-mechanical Systems and similar photonics microdevices.

Optical Micro-Wire Flow-Velocity Sensor.

This paper presents a short response time, all-silica, gas-flow-velocity sensor. The active section of the sensor consists of a 16 µm diameter, highly optically absorbing micro-wire, which is heated remotely by a 980 nm light source. The heated microwire forms a Fabry-Perot interferometer whose temperature is observed at standard telecom wavelengths (1550 nm). The short response time of the sensor allows for different interrogation approaches. Direct measurement of the sensor's thermal time constant allowed for flow-velocity measurements independent of the absolute heating power delivered to the sensor. This measurement approach also resulted in a simple and cost-efficient interrogation system, which utilized only a few telecom components. The sensor's short response time, furthermore, allowed for dynamic flow sensing (including turbulence detection). The sensor's bandwidth was measured experimentally and proved to be in the range of around 22 Hz at low flow velocities. Using time constant measurement, we achieved a flow-velocity resolution up to 0.006 m/s at lower flow velocities, while the resolution in the constant power configuration was better than 0.003 m/s at low flow velocities. The sensing system is constructed around standard telecommunication optoelectronic components, and thus suitable for a wide range of applications.

All Silica Micro-Fluidic Flow Injection Sensor System for Colorimetric Chemical Sensing.

This paper presents a miniature, all-silica, flow-injection sensor. The sensor consists of an optical fiber-coupled microcell for spectral absorption measurements and a microfluidic reagent injection system. The proposed sensor operates in back reflection mode and, with its compact dimensions, (no more than 200 µm in diameter) enables operation in small spaces and at very low flow rates of analyte and reagent, thus allowing for on-line or in-line colorimetric chemical sensing.

Optical flow sensor based on the thermal time-of-flight measurement.

This paper presents a dielectric, all-optical thermal time-of-flight fluid flow velocity sensor. The proposed sensor utilizes a sequence of three short sections of optical fibers, which are positioned in a direction perpendicular to the measured fluid flow. One of these three fiber sections is highly doped with vanadium and acts as an optically controlled heater, while the other two fiber sections contain fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) that act as dynamic temperature sensors. The vanadium-doped fiber is heated periodically by a laser source, while observing temperature variations within the fluid flow downstream by the two fiber sections with inscribed Bragg gratings. The time delay in temperature variations recorded at both FBG sensors correlates directly with the flow rate of the fluid. When the sensor was placed within the glass capillary with inner diameter of 650 µm, it enabled a flow rate measurement range between 1 ml/h and 1200 ml/h. The sensor thus provides a broad flow-rate dynamic range and is insensitive to changes in losses in the lead optical fibers or optical heating source power fluctuations. Furthermore, the thermal properties of the measured liquid, for example, the liquid's thermal conductivity and heat capacity, have mostly limited effects on the measurement results, which allows for thermal-principle-based flow velocity measurements in cases of liquids with variable or poorly defined compositions.

THz Signal Generator Using a Single DFB Laser Diode and the Unbalanced Optical Fiber Interferometer.

This paper presents a frequency-modulated optical signal generator in the THz band. The proposed method is based on a fast optical frequency sweep of a single narrowband laser diode used together with an optical fiber interferometer. The optical frequency sweep using a single laser diode is achieved by generating short current pulses with a high amplitude, which are driving the laser diode. Theoretical analysis showed that the modulation frequency could be changed by the optical path difference of the interferometer or optical frequency sweep rate of a laser diode. The efficiency of the optical signal generator with Michelson and Fabry-Perot interferometers is theoretically analyzed and experimentally evaluated for three different scenarios. Interferometers with different optical path differences and a fixed optical frequency sweep rate were used in the first scenario. Different optical frequency sweep rates and fixed optical path differences of the interferometers were used in the second scenario. This paper presents a method for optical chirp generation using a programmable current pulse waveform, which drives a laser diode to achieve nonlinear optical sweep with a fixed optical path difference of the interferometer. The experimental results showed that the proposed signals could be generated within a microwave (1-30 GHz) and THz band (0.1-0.3 THz).

Miniature all-fiber force sensor.

A miniature all-fiber Fabry-Perot sensor for measurement of force is presented in this Letter. The sensor consists of a thin silica diaphragm created at the tip of the fiber. The central part of the diaphragm is extended into a silica pole, which is ended with a round-shaped probe or a sensing cylinder apt for asserting measured force. The entire sensor is made of silica glass and has a cylindrical shape with a length of about 800 µm and a diameter of about 105 µm. Force sensing resolution of about 0.6 µN was demonstrated experimentally while providing an unambiguous sensor measurement range of about 0.6 mN. The sensor is shown for measurements of surface tension of liquids and biological samples examination.

A Fiber-Optic Gas Sensor and Method for the Measurement of Refractive Index Dispersion in NIR.

This paper presents a method for gas concentration determination based on the measurement of the refractive index dispersion of a gas near the gas resonance in the near-infrared region (NIR). The gas refractive index dispersion line shape is reconstructed from the variation in the spectral interference fringes' periods, which are generated by a low-finesse Fabry-Perot interferometer during the DFB diode's linear-over-time optical frequency sweep around the gas resonance frequency. The entire sensing system was modeled and then verified experimentally, for an example of a low concentration methane-air mixture. We demonstrate experimentally a refractive index dispersion measurement resolution of 2 × 10-9 refractive index units (RIU), which corresponds to a change in methane concentration in air of 0.04 vol% at the resonant frequency of 181.285 THz (1653.7 nm). The experimental and modeling results show an excellent agreement. The presented system utilizes a very simple optical design and has good potential for the realization of cost-efficient gas sensors that can be operated remotely through standard telecom optical fibers.

PECVD of Hexamethyldisiloxane Coatings Using Extremely Asymmetric Capacitive RF Discharge.

An extremely asymmetric low-pressure discharge was used to study the composition of thin films prepared by PECVD using HMDSO as a precursor. The metallic chamber was grounded, while the powered electrode was connected to an RF generator. The ratio between the surface area of the powered and grounded electrode was about 0.03. Plasma and thin films were characterised by optical spectroscopy and XPS depth profiling, respectively. Dense luminous plasma expanded about 1 cm from the powered electrode while a visually uniform diffusing plasma of low luminosity occupied the entire volume of the discharge chamber. Experiments were performed at HMDSO partial pressure of 10 Pa and various oxygen partial pressures. At low discharge power and small oxygen concentration, a rather uniform film was deposited at different treatment times up to a minute. In these conditions, the film composition depended on both parameters. At high powers and oxygen partial pressures, the films exhibited rather unusual behaviour since the depletion of carbon was observed at prolonged deposition times. The results were explained by spontaneous changing of plasma parameters, which was in turn explained by the formation of dust in the gas phase and corresponding interaction of plasma radicals with dust particles.

Deposition Kinetics of Thin Silica-Like Coatings in a Large Plasma Reactor.

An industrial size plasma reactor of 5 m3 volume was used to study the deposition of silica-like coatings by the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method. The plasma was sustained by an asymmetrical capacitively coupled radio-frequency discharge at a frequency of 40 kHz and power up to 7 kW. Hexamethyldisilioxane (HMDSO) was introduced continuously at different flows of up to 200 sccm upon pumping with a combination of roots and rotary pumps at an effective pumping speed between 25 and 70 L/s to enable suitable gas residence time in the plasma reactor. The deposition rate and ion density were measured continuously during the plasma process. Both parameters were almost perfectly constant with time, and the deposition rate increased linearly in the range of HMDSO flows from 25 to 160 sccm. The plasma density was of the order of 1014 m-3, indicating an extremely low ionization fraction which decreased with increasing flow from approximately 2 × 10-7 to 6 × 10-8. The correlations between the processing parameters and the properties of deposited films are drawn and discussed.

Miniature, micro-machined, fiber-optic Fabry-Perot voltage sensor.

This paper presents a miniature Fabry-Perot voltage sensor created at the tip of an optical fiber. The sensor utilizes a micro-machined, all-silica, opto-mechanical structure that is flexed under the presence of attractive forces generated among charged bodies. The small dimensions and short response times of the structure provide an opportunity for measurement of the DC and AC voltages within the range of power grid frequencies. The experimental sensor length was less than 5 mm, and the sensor's sensitivity is sufficient for measurements of voltages in mid-voltage, and even low voltage, ranges. The sensor has a parabolic response to the applied voltage and can be adapted to a variety of voltage ranges by selecting the proper geometrical configuration. We demonstrate experimentally sensors with measurement ranges between 100 V and 1 KV (higher voltage ranges are also straightforwardly attainable) and with resolutions as low as 0.1 V.

Optically controlled fiber-optic micro-gripper for sub-millimeter objects.

A miniature, fully optically controlled, dielectric, opto-thermally actuated tweezer/micro-gripper that is suitable for the manipulation of small objects is presented. The tweezer/micro-gripper is formed at the tip of an optical fiber and utilizes a mid-power laser diode for its actuation. The manipulation of small objects such as short pieces of optical fibers is demonstrated. Small dimensions, fully dielectric design, non-electric actuation, remote operation through the fiber, and good harsh environment compatibility (chemical, radiation, and temperature) might provide opportunities for micromanipulation in a system and areas where current solutions are inadequate.

A Miniature Fabry Perot Sensor for Twist/Rotation, Strain and Temperature Measurements Based on a Four-Core Fiber.

In this article, a novel miniature Fabry-Perot twist/rotation sensor using a four core fiber and quadruple interferometer setup is presented and demonstrated. Detailed sensor modeling, analytical evaluation and test measurement assessment were conducted in this contribution. The sensor structure comprises a single lead-in multicore fiber, which has four eccentrically positioned cores, a special asymmetrical microstructure, and an inline semi-reflective mirror, all packed in a glass capillary housing. A four core fiber positioned in front of a special asymmetrical microstructure and the inline semi reflective mirror defines four Fabry-Perot interferometers. Rotation of the sensors' asymmetrical microstructure around the axis of the in-line four core fibers´ modulates the path lengths of all four interferometers simultaneously. Proper processing of path length changes of all four interferometers allows for unambiguous and temperature independent determination of the sensor's rotation angle.

All-fiber, thermo-optic liquid level sensor.

This paper proposes an all-optical-fiber sensor for continuous measurements of liquid levels. The proposed sensor utilizes an optically absorbing vanadium doped optical fiber, which is configured as a long-gauge, optically-heated, fiber-optic, Fabry-Perot interferometer that is immersed into the measured liquid. The sensor is excited cyclically by a medium-power 980 nm optical source, which induces periodic temperature variation and, consequently, optical path length modulation within the vanadium doped fiber. The amplitude of this path length variation depends on the liquid level and is measured by an interferometric approach. The relation between the liquid level and the amplitude of optical path length modulation caused by the fiber's temperature variation were investigated analytically, and the theoretical model proved to be in good agreement with the experimental results. Two versions of level sensors are demonstrated experimentally, the first with single-side optical heating power delivery and 0.45 m measurement range, and the second with dual-side power delivery and 1 m of operational measurement span. Experimental measurement level resolutions achieved for 0.45 m and 1m operational measurement span were approximately 2 and 3 mm, respectively. The simple and efficient design of sensor and signal interrogation system, the latter is based solely on a few widely available telecom components, provides straightforward opportunities for use of the proposed system in a variety of industrial applications.

Miniature fiber-optic Fabry-Perot refractive index sensor for gas sensing with a resolution of 5x10-9 RIU.

This paper presents a micro-machined, high-resolution refractive index sensor suitable for monitoring of small changes in the composition of gases. Experimentally demonstrated measurement resolution, induced by gas composition variation, proved to be in the range of 5x10-9 of a Refractive Index Unit (RIU). The proposed all-silica, all-fiber sensor consists of an open-path Fabry-Perot micro-cavity that includes an in-fiber collimation and temperature-sensing segment. It is shown that a sensor's resolution depends strongly on the signal interrogator's properties and that, for a given interrogator, there is an optimum Fabry-Perot cavity length that yields the highest system resolution. Furthermore, high-resolution pressure and in situ temperature compositions of measurement results are required to obtain an unambiguous correlation between the gas composition and measured Refractive Index within the presented resolution range.