Abstract:
The present invention relates to an optical based bending sensor. In particular, the present invention relates to a fibre-based bending sensor for the determination of the direction and the amplitude of a bend. The present invention further relates to fibre-based bending sensors using long-period fibre gratings (LPG), in which the intrinsic properties of the fibre and the bend sensitivity of LPG is utilised. In a preferred embodiment, the connection between the Core Concentricity Error (CCE) of the fibre and the LPG in the asymmetric bend behaviour results in coupling resonance between the core and the cladding modes. Thereby a relative splitting of transmission peaks in the spectrum of the LPG is induced, which is used to determine the bending amplitude and direction.
Abstract:
A method of producing an active optical waveguide having asymmetric polarisation, said method comprising the steps of (a) providin g an active optical waveguide (10) comprising: (i) a transverse refractive index profile (21) comprising a guiding region (11), an intermediate region (13), and a non-guiding region (12); (ii) a transverse photorefractive dopant profile (31) comprising a constant or graded photorefractive dopant concentration within at least one of the guiding, non-guiding and intermediate regions, except that the photorefractive dopant is not located solely in the guiding region; and (iii) exhibiting in said guiding region, intermediate region, or both, light guiding modes having different polarisations; and (b) exposing at least a part (10a, 10b) of the active optical waveguide to an effective transverse illumination of light (20) reacting with the photorefractive dopant and modifying said transverse refractive index profile; said part of the active optical waveguide being exposed to a fluence selectively suppressing the propagation of the light guiding modes having different polarisations so that the propagation of one mode is less suppressed than the propagation of the other mode(s). Such an active optical waveguide, single polarisation mode optical waveguide lasers and multi-wavelength single polarisation mode optical waveguide lasers comprising such an active optical waveguide, methods of their production, and their uses in telecommunications, in spectroscopy, in sensors and in absolute calibrated laser light sources.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a micro total analysis system comprising a spectroscope and a method of manufacturing such a system comprising a spectroscope in a one step process. More over the invention relates to a method of analyzing a sample in the system. The micro total analysis system comprising a spectroscope provided on a substrate and for measuring electromagnetic radiation and at least one microfluidic channel. The spectroscope comprises: a slab waveguide for guiding electromagnetic waves towards a diffraction grating dispersing the electromagnetic waves into their component wavelengths, and output means for receiving the deflected electromagnetic waves. At least a part of the microfluidic channel, the slab waveguide and the grating comprises the same main material, such as a polymer material.