In-line photonic microcells based on the elliptical microfibers for refractive index sensors applications

Abstract

We report the fabrication of in-line photonic microcells (PMCs) by encapsulating tapered elliptical microfibers (MFs) inside glass tubes. The encapsulation does not change the optical property of the MF but protects the elliptical MF from external disturbance and contamination and makes the micro-laboratory robust. Such micro-laboratory can be easily integrated into standard fiber-optic circuits with low loss, making the elliptical MF-based devices more practical for real-world applications. Evanescent field sensing is realized by fabricating micro-channel on the PMC for ingress/egress of sample liquids/gas. Based on the encapsulated elliptical MF PMCs, we demonstrated RI sensitivity of 2024 nm per refractive index unit (nm/RIU) in gaseous environment and 21231 nm/RIU in water.