High-sensitivity strain sensor based on inflated long period fiber grating.

We demonstrated a high-sensitivity strain sensor based on an inflated long period fiber grating (I-LPFG). The I-LPFG was inscribed, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, by use of the pressure-assisted CO(2) laser beam scanning technique to inflate periodically air holes of a photonic crystal fiber. Such periodic inflations enhanced the sensitivity of the LPFG-based strain sensor to -5.62 pm/με. After high temperature annealing, the I-LPFG achieved a good repeatability and stability of temperature response with a sensitivity of 11.92 pm/°C.