Fabry-Perot cavity based on air bubble for high sensitivity lateral load and strain measurements

Abstract

A Fabry-Perot air bubble microcavity fabricated between a section of single mode fiber and a multimode fiber is proposed. The study of the microcavities growth with the number of applied arcs is performed. The sensors are tested for lateral load and strain, where sensitivities of 0.32 nm/N and 2.11 nm/N and of 4.49 pm/με and 9.12 pm/με are obtained for the 47 μm and 161 μm long cavities, respectively. The way of manufacturing using a standard fusion splicer and given that no oils or etching solutions are involved, emerges as an alternative to the previously developed air bubble based sensors.