Pressure/Temperature Sensor Based on a Dual-Core Photonic Crystal Fiber

A dual-core photonic crystal fiber (DC-PCF) is proposed for pressure/temperature sensing based on the mode coupling of the two fiber cores. The two solid fiber cores separated by an air hole in the cross-section lead to two independent waveguides inside the DC-PCF which accompany with mode coupling. Pressure/temperature sensor based on the DC-PCF is achieved when one fiber core on the input side is connected to a broadband light source and the other fiber core on the output side is connected to an optical spectrum analyzer. A pressure/temperature sensor based on the DC-PCF is designed with a transmission spectrum which is essentially sensitive to the pressure/temperature applied on the DC-PCF. As an example we design a pressure sensor based on a 10-cm DC-PCF for the sensing pressure range from 0 to 1000 MPa with a sensitivity of -3.47 pm/MPa, and a temperature sensor based on a 4-cm DC-PCF for the sensing temperature range from 0 to 1000 degrees C with a sensitivity of 20.7 pm/degrees C. The fiber bending analysis of the DC-PCF is also presented.