D.Ing. / Optical fibre-based devices (e.g. fibre gratings) play an important role in the optical com- munications and sensing industry. One type of fibre grating, the long-period grating (LPG), is becoming more and more popular as a simple and versatile component for a multitude of applications in optical engineering. The sensitivity of LPGs to various external perturbations and their ability to manipulate selectively light propagating in optical fibres make them well- suited to creating fibre-based devices. LPGs can be used in various applications, for example as gain equalisers for erbium-doped fibre amplifiers, as channel routers in optical add-drop multiplexers and as sensors. LPGs are typically fabricated by exposing photosensitive optical fibre to ultraviolet light. However, a variety of other techniques can be used to fabricate LPGs, including exposure to carbon dioxide (CO2) laser light. Over the years, it has become evident that CO2 laser- induced LPGs exhibit unique properties and features that can be harnessed to develop devices for important applications. It is necessary to understand the physical properties and optical characteristics of CO2 laser-induced LPGs to harness, manipulate and enhance their features. Research has been conducted on the development of an automated fabrication system that produces axially symmetric LPGs in single-mode fibre with a CO2 laser. A detailed study was undertaken on the design of uniform and non-uniform LPGs for wavelength-division multiplexing networks, as well as the characterisation of the CO2 laser beam propagating in the LPG fabrication system. These LPGs have been designed, using either analysis or syn- thesis techniques. The polarisation-dependent loss of the LPGs has also been investigated. Wavelength-selective couplers (WSCs) have been constructed using CO2 laser-induced LPGs and it was shown that these couplers were e®ective but not efficient in routing power to the output port of the tapping fibre. The physical properties, optical transmission characteris- tics, applications and other related issues of CO2 laser-induced LPGs have been investigated and satisfactory experimental results have been obtained. Areas for potential future research concerning CO2 laser-induced LPGs have been identified and discussed.

A long-period grating is obtained by introducing a periodic refractive index modulation in the core of a hydrogen-sensitized germanosilicate fiber. The phase-matching condition causes light from the fundamental guided mode to couple to discrete, forward-propagating cladding modes. These cladding modes attenuate rapidly on propagation and result in loss bands at distinct wavelengths in the grating transmission spectrum. We present a comprehensive analysis of the spectral modulation provided by long-period gratings. An analytical model is developed to predict the location of the resonance bands as functions of the grating period and the parameters of the host fiber. These gratings with small insertion loss and negligible back-ret1ection are shown to possess two different regions of operation, namely, normal and anomalous. The fabrication and high temperature annealing of these devices is detailed, and a novel method to obtain these gratings without employing ultra-violet radiation is presented. Long-period gratings are proposed as simple yet versatile optical fiber sensors. It is demonstrated that external temperature and axial strain introduce large spectral shifts in the resonance bands. A theoretical evaluation of the sensitivity reveals a strong dependence on the properties of the optical fiber, the grating periodicity, the order of the cladding mode, the writing and annealing conditions, and the index of refraction of the surrounding medium. Temperature-insensitive and strain-insensitive long-period gratings written in standard optical fibers are studied for their sensing characteristics. Long period grating-based refractive index sensors are obtained without etching the cladding of the fiber. It is demonstrated that long-period grating sensors can be implemented with simple demodulation schemes. Applications of these devices to structural health monitoring and biochemical sensing are presented. Finally, long-period gratings are demonstrated as effective sensors that can be used to separate temperature and axial strain acting simultaneously on the fiber. Strain-insensitive gratings are used to extend the dynamic range of the system in the presence of non-linearities and cross-sensitivities. / Ph. D.

Biosensors are detection devices that couple biological recognition elements to physiochemical transducers to generate quantifiable signals. Immunosensors are biosensors that use antibodies as the recognition element. The highly specific nature of antibody-antigen binding is exploited to create immunosensors that are sensitive to analytes in complex mixtures and demonstrate a rapid response. Fiber optical immunosensors based on long-period gratings have limited sensitivity at the refractive index of ordinary aqueous solutions (~1.33). A composite film was designed to raise the local refractive index of the sensor, thus increasing sensitivity. Titanium dioxide deposition raised the refractive index of the sensor to ~1.42. Bovine serum albumin was immobilized onto a dextran hydrogel and attached to the LPG element via reductive amination. The thickness of the hydrogel was estimated to be 500 nm using Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy. The affinity film was probed by an evanescent wave to detect changes in refractive index due to the binding of anti-BSA IgG. Under these conditions, the sensor yielded a signal ratio of approximately 10-4 refractive index units per nm signal. Reproducible binding was shown over multiple exposures, with no cross reactivity for non-specific antibodies and other proteins. Anti-BSA IgG (20 µg/mL) in whole serum was recycled through the fiber holder with an accompanying peak wavelength shift that averaged 2 nm on an Optical Spectrum Analyzer with a noise level of 0.1 nm. The BSA affinity film was regenerated 50 times and showed a baseline shift of -1.3 nm. / Master of Science

This thesis investigates the fabrication technique and procedures for producing long period grating (LPG) fiber sensors with point-by-point irradiation under a CO2 laser beam. The type of fiber sensor under examination is desirable to be highly sensitive to the variation of the thickness and refractive index of a thin film deposited on the LPGs, making it a promising candidate as a core sensor component in a biosensor system developed for detection and verification of pathogenic bacteria, such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Francisella tularensis, and so on. We have previously demonstrated that a UV-induced long-period-grating (LPG) based fiber sensor is extremely sensitive to small variation of refractive index (RI) and thickness of the surrounding medium. In this thesis, we will present a CO2 laser and step- stage system that operate automatically under control of a Matlab program to inscribe LPGs with desired grating period and fabrication conditions. Examples of CO2 laser induced LPGs have been found to exhibit high sensitivity, with transmissive power attenuation of more than 15 dB at the resonant peak of 1402 nm under deposition of Ionic Self-Assembled Monolayer (ISAM) thin film that is around 50 nm in thickness. When tuned to its maximum sensitivity region, this LPG has shown a transmission power reduction of 79% with the deposition of only 1 bilayer of ISAM thin film at the monitored wavelength. This result is comparable in sensitivity with the UV-induced LPGs, yet with the advantage of lower fabrication cost and simplified fabrication procedure. / Master of Science

Este trabalho apresenta o estudo, a implementação e a caracterização de transdutores compostos por uma estrutura formada por grades de Bragg (FBG, Fiber Bragg Gratings) e grades de período longo (LPG, Long Period Gratings) em fibra óptica com cobertura metálica autoaquecida para medição da condutividade térmica e da difusividade térmica de materiais baseado no método do fio quente (HWM, Hot-Wire Method) convencional. O autoaquecimento da fibra óptica do dispositivo desenvolvido neste trabalho é provocado pela luz de espectro infravermelho injetada por um laser de bombeamento, que é espalhada por uma LPG e absorvida por um filme fino metálico depositado na superfície da fibra. Os transdutores apresentados são compactos, simples, robustos e imunes a interferências eletromagnéticas. O arranjo experimental utilizando o dispositivo híbrido LPG-FBG foi capaz de medir as condutividades térmicas do ar atmosférico e da água comum com precisões de 27% e 14%, respectivamente. Foram identificados vários fatores que afetam a precisão e a exatidão das medidas realizadas, sendo propostas diversas formas de correções de modo a melhorar o desempenho do arranjo. Foi demonstrada com sucesso a viabilidade da aplicação original do arranjo experimental utilizando o dispositivo híbrido LPG-FBG em fibra óptica autoaquecida para a medição de propriedades térmicas de fluidos (ar e água). / This work presents the study, implementation, and characterization of transducers composed of a structure formed by Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) and Long Period Gratings (LPG) in optical fiber with self-heating coverage for measurement of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of materials based on the Hot-Wire Method (HWM). The self-heating fiber optic device developed in this work is caused by the light of infrared spectrum injected by a pumping laser, which is spread by an LPG and absorbed by a thin metallic film deposited on the surface of the fiber. The transducers are compact, simple, robust and immune to electromagnetic interference. The experimental arrangement using the optical fiber sensor based on LPG-FBG hybrid structure was able to measure the thermal conductivity of atmospheric air and water with accuracies of 27% and 14%, respectively. Several factors were identified that affect the precision and the accuracy of the measures carried out, whereby various forms of corrections are being proposed to improve overall performance. The viability of the original application of the experimental arrangement using the LPG-FBG hybrid device in self-heating optical fiber for the measurement of thermal properties of fluids (air and water) has been successfully demonstrated.

Este trabalho apresenta o estudo, a implementação e a caracterização de transdutores compostos por uma estrutura formada por grades de Bragg (FBG, Fiber Bragg Gratings) e grades de período longo (LPG, Long Period Gratings) em fibra óptica com cobertura metálica autoaquecida para medição da condutividade térmica e da difusividade térmica de materiais baseado no método do fio quente (HWM, Hot-Wire Method) convencional. O autoaquecimento da fibra óptica do dispositivo desenvolvido neste trabalho é provocado pela luz de espectro infravermelho injetada por um laser de bombeamento, que é espalhada por uma LPG e absorvida por um filme fino metálico depositado na superfície da fibra. Os transdutores apresentados são compactos, simples, robustos e imunes a interferências eletromagnéticas. O arranjo experimental utilizando o dispositivo híbrido LPG-FBG foi capaz de medir as condutividades térmicas do ar atmosférico e da água comum com precisões de 27% e 14%, respectivamente. Foram identificados vários fatores que afetam a precisão e a exatidão das medidas realizadas, sendo propostas diversas formas de correções de modo a melhorar o desempenho do arranjo. Foi demonstrada com sucesso a viabilidade da aplicação original do arranjo experimental utilizando o dispositivo híbrido LPG-FBG em fibra óptica autoaquecida para a medição de propriedades térmicas de fluidos (ar e água). / This work presents the study, implementation, and characterization of transducers composed of a structure formed by Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBG) and Long Period Gratings (LPG) in optical fiber with self-heating coverage for measurement of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of materials based on the Hot-Wire Method (HWM). The self-heating fiber optic device developed in this work is caused by the light of infrared spectrum injected by a pumping laser, which is spread by an LPG and absorbed by a thin metallic film deposited on the surface of the fiber. The transducers are compact, simple, robust and immune to electromagnetic interference. The experimental arrangement using the optical fiber sensor based on LPG-FBG hybrid structure was able to measure the thermal conductivity of atmospheric air and water with accuracies of 27% and 14%, respectively. Several factors were identified that affect the precision and the accuracy of the measures carried out, whereby various forms of corrections are being proposed to improve overall performance. The viability of the original application of the experimental arrangement using the LPG-FBG hybrid device in self-heating optical fiber for the measurement of thermal properties of fluids (air and water) has been successfully demonstrated.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-12T20:27:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Renan Sebem.pdf: 14781648 bytes, checksum: 1c30002408823e0116831038c8c98e8c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09-21 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This work explores the potential and shows the implementation of the long period gratings as refractive index sensors. It is proposed a sensor design where the refractive index sensitivity is improved. The design includes the use of the sensor with simple and low cost interrogation. Several manufacturing parameters are investigated and the process is enhanced to meet the design specifications, and also to obtain repeatability in the process. New ideas were proposed to manufacture tilted gratings and to control the index modulation duty cycle in a practical way with inexpensive equipment. The inscription of the fiber sensor is made by CO2 laser, point to point, with a uniform index modulation. The gratings were interrogated by an optical spectrum analyzer and also by edge filter demodulation in the 1550 nm region through an electronic board, developed in this work with automatic normalization of the signal. Results show that the refractive index sensitivity is influenced by several design and manufacturing parameters of the fiber grating. Performed experiments show a considerable increase in the refractive index sensitivity of the grating. / Este trabalho explora o potencial e demonstra a implementação das redes de período longo em fibra como sensores de índice de refração. É proposto um projeto do sensor em que a sensibilidade ao índice de refração é aperfeiçoada. O projeto contempla a utilização do sensor com interrogação de maneira simples e de baixo custo. Diversos parâmetros de fabricação são investigados e o processo é aprimorado para atingir as especificações de projeto, e também a fim da obtenção de repetibilidade no processo. Novas ideias foram propostas para fabricação de redes inclinadas e para o controle do duty cycle da modulação de índice da rede de maneira prática com equipamentos de baixo custo. A fabricação do sensor em fibra é feita através de laser de CO2, ponto a ponto, e com modulação de índice uniforme. As redes foram interrogadas através de analisador de espectro óptico e também por demodulação de borda de filtro na região de 1550 nm através de uma placa eletrônica, desenvolvida neste trabalho com normalização automática do sinal. Resultados mostram que a sensibilidade ao índice de refração é influenciada por alguns parâmetros de projeto e fabricação da rede em fibra. Experimentos realizados mostraram um aumento considerável na sensibilidade da rede ao índice de refração.

Ionic self-assembled multilayers (ISAMs) can be formed by alternately dipping a substrate in anionic and cationic polyelectrolytes. Each immersion deposits a monolayer via electrostatic attraction, allowing for nanometer-scale control over film thickness. Additionally, ISAM films can be applied to arbitrary substrate geometries and can easily incorporate a variety of polymers and nanoscale organic or inorganic inclusions. The ISAM technique was used to tune and functionalize a rapid, sensitive fiber optic biosensor for textit{Brucella}, a family of bacteria that are detrimental to livestock and can also infect humans. The sensor was based on a turn-around point long period fiber grating (TAP-LPG). Unlike conventional LPGs, in which the attenuation peaks shift wavelength in response to environmental changes, TAP-LPGs have a highly sensitive single wavelength peak with variable attenuation. ISAMs were applied to a TAP-LPG to tune it to maximum sensitivity and to facilitate cross-linking of receptor molecules. Biotin and streptavidin were used to attach biotinylated hybridization probes specific to distinct species of textit{Brucella}. The sensor was then exposed to lysed cell cultures and tissue samples in order to evaluate its performance. The best results were obtained when using samples from textit{Brucella} infected mice, which produced a transmission change of 6.0 ± 1.4% for positive controls and 0.5 ± 2.0% for negative controls. While the sensor was able to distinguish between positive and negative samples, the relatively short dynamic range of the available fiber limited its performance. Attempts to fabricate new TAP-LPGs using a CO2 laser were unsuccessful due to poor laser stability. A second application of the ISAM technique was as a source of second-harmonic generation (SHG). SHG is a nonlinear optical process in which light is instantaneously converted to half its wavelength in the presence of intense electric fields. Localized surface plasmons (LSPs) in metal nanoparticles produce strong electric field enhancements, especially at sharp tips and edges, that can be used to increase SHG. Colloidally grown silver nanoprisms were deposited onto nonlinear ISAM films and conversion of 1064 nm Nd:YAG radiation to its 532 nm second-harmonic was observed. Little enhancement was observed when using nanoprisms with LSP resonance near 1064 nm due to their large size and low concentration. When using shorter wavelength nanoprisms, enhancements of up to 35 times were observed when they were applied by immersion, and up to 1380 times when concentrated nanoprisms were applied via dropcasting at high enough densities to broaden their extinction peak towards the excitation wavelength. A maximum enhancement of 2368 times was obtained when concentrated silver nanoprisms with LSP resonance around 900 nm were spincast with an additional layer of PCBS. / Doctor of Philosophy / Polyelectrolytes are long molecules composed of chains of charged monomers. When a substrate with a net surface charge is dipped into an oppositely charged polyelectrolyte solution, a single layer of molecules will be electrostatically deposited onto the substrate. Because the surface charge now appears to match the charge of the solution, no further deposition occurs. However, the process can be repeated by rinsing the substrate and immersing in a solution with the opposite charge. This technique forms ionic self-assembled multilayers (ISAMs), which can be assembled with nanometer-level control over thickness. The flexibility of polymer chemistry allows ISAMs to be formed from polyelectrolytes with a wide variety of properties. Additionally, the technique can easily incorporate other nanoscale materials, such as nanoparticles, clay platelets, and biological molecules, and has been investigated for applications ranging from dye-sensitized organic solar cells to drug delivery and medical implant coatings. This dissertation presents two applications of ISAM films. In one, ISAM films were used to tune and functionalize an optical biosensor for Brucella. Brucellosis primarily infects livestock, in which it causes significant reproductive problems leading to economic losses, but can also cause flu-like symptoms and more serious complications in humans. A rapid, sensitive test for Brucella is required to monitor herds and adjacent wild carriers, such as elk and bison. Optical biosensors, which operate by detecting changes due to the interaction between light and the stimulus, could satisfy this need. Long period fiber gratings (LPGs) are periodic modulations induced in the core of an optical fiber that cause transmitted light to be scattered at a resonant wavelength, resulting in attenuation. Conventional LPGs respond to changes in strain, temperature, or external refractive index by shifting their resonant wavelength. When special conditions are met, an LPG may exhibit a turn-around point (TAP), where dual peaks coalesce into a single peak with a constant wavelength but variable attenuation depth. TAP-LPGs are more sensitive than ordinary LPGs, and could be developed into inexpensive sensors with single-wavelength light sources and detectors. In this work, ISAMs were deposited onto an LPG to tune it near its TAP. Segments of single-stranded DNA, called hybridization probes, that were specific to individual species of Brucella were attached to the ISAM film before the sensor was exposed to lysed bacterial cultures. It was found that the sensor could distinguish between Brucella and other types of bacteria, but was less successful at distinguishing between Brucella species. The project was limited by the available TAP-LPGs, which had less dynamic range than those used in prior work by this group. Attempts were made to establish a new supply of TAP-LPGs by fabrication with a CO2 laser, but these efforts were unsuccessful due to poor laser stability. The second project discussed in this dissertation investigated ISAM films as a source of second-harmonic generation (SHG), a nonlinear optical process in which light is converted to half its fundamental wavelength in the presence of intense electric fields. Nonlinear ISAMs were constructed by choosing a polyelectrolyte with a hyperpolarizable side group in which SHG can occur. The SHG efficiency was increased by factors of several hundred to several thousand by the addition of silver nanoprisms. Metal nanoparticles can produce strong electric field enhancements, especially at their tips and edges, when incident light causes resonant collective oscillations in their electrons called localized surface plasmons (LSPs). It was found that while silver nanoprisms whose LSP resonant wavelength matched the fundamental wavelength were too dilute to produce noticeable enhancement, better results could be obtained by depositing shorter wavelength nanoprisms at sufficient density to broaden their extinction peak via interparticle interactions. The best enhancement observed was for a sample where concentrated silver nanoprisms with LSP resonance around 900 nm were dropcast onto an ISAM film and coated with an additional polymer layer, resulting in 2368 times more SHG than the plain ISAM film.

[ES] La fibra óptica ha supuesto una gran revolución en el mundo de las telecomunicaciones debido a su alta capacidad de transmisión y sus bajas pérdidas. Hoy en día no sería posible transportar la cantidad de tráfico que se genera en internet si no fuera por sis- temas de comunicaciones basados en fibras ópticas. Sin embargo, el número de dispo- sitivos conectados a internet es cada vez mayor, por lo que la capacidad de la fibra óptica estándar de un solo núcleo se puede ver limitada en un futuro no muy lejano. Una forma de aumentar dicha capacidad es utilizar fibras ópticas con varios núcleos. Actualmente existe un gran interés sobre la investigación en este tipo de fibras para aplicaciones de telecomunicaciones, por lo que no es difícil encontrar fibras multinú- cleo comerciales. Aunque el uso más común de la fibra óptica es para telecomunicaciones, también se puede utilizar como sensor. Uno de los métodos más comunes para la implementa- ción de sensores es la inscripción de redes de difracción en fibras ópticas de un solo núcleo. Sin embargo, la inscripción de redes de dirección en fibras de múltiples núcleos abre nuevas líneas de investigación para el desarrollo de sensores avanzados. En esta tesis se ha estudiado distintos tipos de redes de difracción inscritas en una fibra de siete núcleos para su aplicación en la implementación de sensores. En primer lugar, se describe el sistema de fabricación que permite inscribir distintos tipos de redes de difracción en la fibra multinúcleo de forma selectiva, es decir, permite seleccionar en que núcleos se va a inscribir la red. Mediante este sistema se han inscrito redes de periodo largo y posteriormente se han caracterizado como sensor de deformación, tor- sión y curvatura. Después, se han inscrito redes de Bragg inclinadas para aumentar de forma intencionada la diafonía entre los núcleos de la fibra mediante el acoplo de luz entre ellos. Además, se ha demostrado experimentalmente que esta diafonía es sensible a la deformación de la fibra, a la curvatura, a la temperatura y al índice de refracción que rodea la fibra. Por otro lado, se ha demostrado que las redes de Bragg inscritas en fibras multinúcleo se pueden utilizar para implementar sensores de curvatura capaces de operar en entornos radioactivos. Finalmente se han fabricado redes de Bragg rege- neradas capaces de operar a altas temperaturas, estas redes se han caracterizado como sensor de temperatura, deformación y curvatura. / [CAT] La fibra òptica ha suposat una gran revolució en el món de les telecomunicacions a causa de la seua alta capacitat de transmissió i les seues baixes pèrdues. Hui en dia no seria possible transportar la quantitat d'informació que es genera en internet si no fos pels sistemes de comunicacions basats en fibres òptiques. No obstant això, el nombre de dispositius connectats a internet es cada vegada més gran, per la qual cosa la capacitat de la fibra òptica estàndard d'un sol nucli es pot veure limitada en un futur no gaire llunyà. Una manera d'augmentar aquesta capacitat es utilitzar fibres òptiques amb diversos nuclis. Actualment existeix un gran interès sobre la investigació en aquesta mena de fibres per a aplicacions de telecomunicacions, per la qual cosa no es difícil trobar fibres de múltiples nuclis comercials. Encara que l'ús mes comú de la fibra òptica es per a telecomunicacions, també es pot utilitzar com a sensor. Un dels mètodes més comuns per a la implementació de sensors es la inscripció de xarxes de difracció en fibres òptiques d'un sol nucli. No obstant això, la inscripció de xarxes de difracció en fibres de múltiples nuclis obri noves línies d'investigació per al desenvolupament de sensors més complexos. En aquesta tesi s'ha estudiat diferents tipus de xarxes de difracció inscrites en una fibra de set nuclis per a la seua aplicació en la implementació de sensors en fibra òptica. En primer lloc, es descriu el sistema de fabricació de xarxes de difracció que permet inscriure diferents tipus de xarxes de difracció en la fibra de múltiples nuclis de manera selectiva, es a dir, permet seleccionar en que nuclis s'inscriurà la xarxa. Mitjançant aquest sistema s'han inscrit xarxes de període llarg i posteriorment s'han caracteritzat com a sensor de deformació, torsió i curvatura. Després, s'han inscrit xarxes de Bragg inclinades per a augmentar de manera intencionada la diafonia entre els nuclis de la fibra mitjançant l'acoblament de llum entre ells. A més d'això, s'ha demostrat experimentalment que aquesta diafonia es sensible a la deformació de la fibra, a la curvatura, a la temperatura i a l'índex de refracció que envolta la fibra. D'altra banda, s'ha demostrat que les xarxes de Bragg inscrites en fibres múltiples nuclis es poden utilitzar per a implementar sensors de curvatura que poden operar en entorns radioactius. Finalment s'han fabricat xarxes de Bragg regenerades que suporten altes temperatures, aquestes xarxes s'han caracteritzat com a sensor de temperatura, deformació i curvatura. / [EN] Optical fiber has been a great revolution in the world of telecommunications due to its high transmission capacity and low attenuation. Today it would not be possible to transport the amount of traffic that is generated on the Internet without communication systems based on optical fibers. However, the number of devices connected to the Internet is increasing, so the capacity of standard single-core fiber optics may be limited so far in the future. One way to increase this capacity is to use multi-core optical fibers. Nowadays is a great interest in research in this type of fibers for telecommunications applications, so it is not difficult to find commercial multicore fibers. Although the most common use of fiber optics is for telecommunications, it can also be used as a sensor. One of the most common methods for sensor implementation is the inscription of diffraction gratings on single-core optical fibers. However, the enrollment of steering networks in multi-core fibers opens new lines of research for the development of advanced sensors. In this thesis, different types of diffraction gratings inscribed in a seven-core fiber have been studied for their application in the implementation of sensors. In the first place, the diffraction grating manufacturing system is described that allows to inscribe different types of diffraction gratings in the multicore fiber selectively, that is, it allows to select in which cores the grating is going to be inscribed. By means of this system, long-period networks have been inscribed and subsequently they have been characterized as a deformation, torsion, and curvature sensor. Then, slanted Bragg gratings have been inscribed to intentionally increase the crosstalk between the fiber cores by coupling light between them. Furthermore, this crosstalk has been experimentally shown to be sensitive to fiber deformation, curvature, temperature, and the index of refraction surrounding the fiber. On the other hand, it has been shown that Bragg networks inscribed in multicore fibers can be used to implement curvature sensors capable of operating in radioactive environments. Finally, regenerated Bragg nets capable of operating at high temperatures have been manufactured. These nets have been characterized as a temperature, deformation, and curvature sensor. / Agradezco a la Universitat Politècnica de València la beca FPI (PAID-01-18) que me fue concedida para realizar está tesis. / Madrigal Madrigal, J. (2022). Diseño, fabricación y caracterización de sensores basados en fibras ópticas de múltiples núcleos [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/180806

[EN] Fiber grating sensors and devices have demonstrated outstanding capabilities in both telecommunications and sensing areas, due to their well-known advantageous characteristics. Therefore, one of the most important motivations lies in the potential of customized fiber gratings to be suitably employed for improving the interrogation process of optical fiber sensors and systems. This Ph.D. dissertation is focused on the study, design, fabrication and performance evaluation of customized fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) and long period gratings (LPGs) with the double aim to present novel sensing technologies and to enhance the response of existing sensing systems. In this context, a technique based on time-frequency domain analysis has been studied and applied to interrogate different kind of FBGs-based sensors. The distribution of the central wavelength along the sensing structures has been demonstrated, based on a combination of frequency scanning of the interrogating optical pulse and optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR), allowing the detection of spot events with good performance in terms of measurand resolution. Moreover, different customized FBGs have been interrogated using a technology inspired on the operation principle of microwave photonics (MWP) filters, enabling the detection of spot events using radio-frequency (RF) devices with modest bandwidth. The sensing capability of these technological platforms has been fruitfully employed for implementing a large scale quasi-distributed sensor, based on an array of cascaded FBGs. The potentiality of LPGs as fiber optic sensors has also been investigated in a new fashion, exploiting the potentials of MWP filtering techniques. Besides, a novel approach for simultaneous measurements based on a half-coated LPG has been proposed and demonstrated. Finally, the feasibility of FBGs as selective wavelength filters has been exploited in sensing applications; an alternative approach to improve the response and performance of Brillouin distributed fiber sensors has been studied and validated via experiments. The performance of the reported sensing platforms have been analyzed and evaluated so as to characterize their impact on the fiber sensing field and to ultimately identify the use of the most suitable technology depending on the processing task to be carried out and on the final goal to reach. / [ES] Los sensores y dispositivos en fibra basados en redes de difracción han mostrado excepcionales capacidades en el ámbito de las telecomunicaciones y del sensado, gracias a sus excelentes propiedades. Entre las motivaciones más estimulantes destaca la posibilidad de fabricar redes de difracción ad-hoc para implementar y/o mejorar las prestaciones de los sensores fotónicos. Esta tesis doctoral se ha enfocado en el estudio, diseño, fabricación y evaluación de las prestaciones de redes de difracción de Bragg (FBGs) y de redes de difracción de periodo largo (LPGs) personalizadas con el fin de desarrollar nuevas plataformas de detección y a la vez mejorar la respuesta y las prestaciones de los sensores fotónicos ya existentes. En este contexto, una técnica basada en el análisis tiempofrecuencia se ha estudiado e implementado para la interrogación de sensores en fibra basados en varios tipos y modelos de FBGs. Se ha analizado la distribución de la longitud de onda central a lo largo de la estructura de sensado, gracias a una metodología que conlleva el escaneo en frecuencia del pulso óptico incidente y la técnica conocida como reflectometria óptica en el dominio del tiempo (OTDR). De esta manera se ha llevado a cabo la detección de eventos puntuales, alcanzando muy buenas prestaciones en términos de resolución de la magnitud a medir. Además, se han interrogado varias FBGs a través de una técnica basada en el principio de operación de los filtros de fotónica de microondas (MWP), logrando así la detección de eventos puntuales usando dispositivos de radio-frecuencia (RF) caracterizados por un moderado ancho de banda. La capacidad de sensado de estas plataformas tecnológicas ha sido aprovechada para la realización de un sensor quasi-distribuido de gran alcance, formado por una estructura en cascada de muchas FBGs. Por otro lado, se han puesto a prueba las capacidades de las LPGs como sensores ópticos según un enfoque novedoso; para ello se han aprovechados las potencialidades de los filtros de MWP. Asimismo, se ha estudiado y demostrado un nuevo método para medidas simultáneas de dos parámetros, basado en una LPG parcialmente recubierta por una película polimérica. Finalmente, se ha explotado la viabilidad de las FBGs en cuanto al filtrado selectivo en longitud de onda para aplicaciones de sensado; para ello se ha propuesto un sistema alternativo para la mejora de la respuesta y de las prestaciones de sensores ópticos distribuidos basados en el scattering de Brillouin. En conclusión, se han analizado y evaluado las prestaciones de las plataformas de sensado propuestas para caracterizar su impacto en el ámbito de los sistemas de detección por fibra y además identificar el uso de la tecnología más adecuada dependiendo de la tarea a desarrollar y del objetivo a alcanzar. / [CA] Els sensors i dispositius en fibra basats en xarxes de difracció han mostrat excepcionals capacitats en l'àmbit de les telecomunicacions i del sensat, gràcies a les seus excel¿lents propietats. Entre les motivacions més estimulants destaca la possibilitat de fabricar xarxes de difracció ad-hoc per a implementar i/o millorar les prestacions de sensors fotònics. Esta tesi doctoral s'ha enfocat en l'estudi, disseny, fabricació i avaluació de les prestacions de xarxes de difracció de Bragg (FBGs) i de xarxes de difracció de període llarg (LPGs) personalitzades per tal de desenvolupar noves plataformes de detecció i al mateix temps millorar la resposta i les prestacions dels sensors fotònics ja existents. En este context, una tècnica basada en l'anàlisi temps-freqüència s'ha estudiat i implementat per a la interrogació de sensors en fibra basats en diversos tipus i models de FBGs. S'ha analitzat la distribució de la longitud d'ona central al llarg de l'estructura de sensat, gràcies a una metodologia que comporta l'escaneig en freqüència del pols òptic incident i la tècnica coneguda com reflectometria òptica en el domini del temps (OTDR). D'esta manera s'ha dut a terme la detecció d'esdeveniments puntuals, aconseguint molt bones prestacions en termes de resolució de la magnitud a mesurar. A més, s'han interrogat diverses FBGs a través d'una tècnica basada en el principi d'operació dels filtres de fotònica de microones (MWP), aconseguint així la detecció d'esdeveniments puntuals utilitzant dispositius de ràdio-freqüència (RF) caracteritzats per un moderat ample de banda. La capacitat de sensat d'aquestes plataformes tecnològiques ha sigut aprofitada per a la realització d'un sensor quasi-distribuït a llarga escala, format per una estructura en cascada de moltes FBGs. D'altra banda, s'han posat a prova les capacitats de les LPGs com a sensors òptics segons un enfocament nou; per a això s'han aprofitat les potencialitats dels filtres de MWP. Així mateix, s'ha estudiat i demostrat un nou mètode per a mesures simultànies de dos paràmetres, basat en una LPG parcialment recoberta per una pel¿lícula polimèrica. Finalment, s'ha explotat la viabilitat de les FBGs pel que fa al filtrat selectiu en longitud d'ona per a aplicacions de sensat; per això s'ha proposat un sistema alternatiu per a la millora de la resposta i de les prestacions de sensors òptics distribuïts basats en el scattering de Brillouin. S'han analitzat i avaluat les prestacions de les plataformes de sensat propostes per a caracteritzar el seu impacte en l'àmbit dels sistemes de detecció per fibra i a més identificar l'ús de la tecnologia més adequada depenent de la tasca a desenvolupar i de l'objectiu a assolir. / Ricchiuti, AL. (2016). Design and fabrication of customized fiber gratings to improve the interrogation of optical fiber sensors [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/66343 / Premios Extraordinarios de tesis doctorales