Graphene-coated tilted fiber-Bragg grating for enhanced sensing in low-refractive-index region

Opt Lett. 2015 Sep 1;40(17):3994-7. doi: 10.1364/OL.40.003994.

Abstract

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a method to significantly extend the sensitive window of tilted fiber-Bragg grating (TFBG) into low-refractive-index region with the integration of graphene coating. The coupling between cladding modes of TFBG and graphene coating results in an obvious modification of the cladding-mode envelope, which provides a sensitive regime relying on graphene's complex refractive index. Interacting the graphene-coated TFBG with various aqueous solutions, we observe strongly enhanced sensitivity in the low-refractive-index region of 1-1.428, which is about 10-fold extended from that of the unloaded TFBG. The graphene-coated TFBGs present great potentials in the biochemical sensing window.

MeSH terms

  • Graphite / chemistry*
  • Optical Fibers*
  • Refractometry*

Substances

  • Graphite