Temperature sensing using the bandgap-like effect in a selectively liquid-filled photonic crystal fiber.

A compact temperature sensor based on a selectively liquid-filled photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is proposed using controlled hole collapse in PCF post-processing. The first ring around the core is filled with liquid of higher refractive index than the matrix, while the outer rings of holes are filled with air. The bandgap (BG)-like effect of the high refractive index ring is analyzed. Absorption loss spectra of the fiber are found to be quite sensitive to the refractive index of liquid when the liquid is lossy. Using the BG-like effect, a fiber temperature sensor is fabricated by selectively injecting a mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide and aqueous gold colloids with a high thermo-optic coefficient to the PCF. Temperature sensitivity up to -5.5 nm/°C is experimentally confirmed.