Abstract
Etched Fiber Bragg Grating (EFBG) sensors are attractive from the point
of the inherently high multiplexing ability of fiber based sensors. However,
the strong dependence of the sensitivity of EFBG sensors on the fiber diameter
requires robust methods for calibration when used for distributed sensing
in a large array format. Using experimental data and numerical modelling,
we show that knowledge of the wavelength shift during the etch process is
necessary for high-fidelity calibration of EFBG arrays. However as this approach
requires the monitoring of every element of the sensor array during etching,
we also proposed and demonstrated a calibration scheme using data from bulk
refractometry measurements conducted post-fabrication without needing any
information about the etching process. Although this approach is not as precise
as the first one, it may be more practical as there is no requirement to monitor
each element of the sensor array. We were able to calibrate the response of
the sensors to within 3% with the approach using information acquired during
etching and to within 5% using the post-fabrication bulk refractometry approach
in spite of the sensitivities of the array element differing by more than
a factor of 4. These two approaches present a tradeoff between accuracy and
practicality.
© 2013 IEEE
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