Simple low-cost refractometer using a disposable optical fiber tip for measurements

Rodolfo Martínez-Manuel; Óscar Esteban; Mikhail G. Shlyagin

doi:10.1117/1.OE.55.11.116108

22 November 2016 Simple low-cost refractometer using a disposable optical fiber tip for measurements

Rodolfo Martínez-Manuel, Óscar Esteban, Mikhail G. Shlyagin

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 55, Issue 11, 116108 (November 2016). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.55.11.116108

Abstract

A simple but accurate fiber-optic refractometer based on Fresnel reflection in the tip of a single-mode optical fiber is reported. The refractometer can be easily assembled using a distributed feedback laser as a light source and standard low-cost fiber-optic components. The short section of an optical fiber cleaved at right-angle in both tips is used as a disposable needle-type sensor head. The sensing fiber being connected with the angle-cleaved lead fiber forms a stable reflector used for light intensity reference. Signals from the sensing and reference fiber tips, generated by modulating the laser optical frequency with a sawtooth-wave form, are demultiplexed using methods of optical frequency-modulated continuous-wave interferometry. Despite the simplicity of the device, a repeatability and reproducibility of 6×10⁻⁴ RIU and 3×10⁻⁴ RIU, respectively, were demonstrated in dip-and-read experiments using replaceable disposable fiber tips.

Citation Download Citation

Rodolfo Martínez-Manuel, Óscar Esteban, and Mikhail G. Shlyagin "Simple low-cost refractometer using a disposable optical fiber tip for measurements," Optical Engineering 55(11), 116108 (22 November 2016). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.55.11.116108

Published: 22 November 2016

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