M. Shadaram et al., MODELING AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF FERROCENE-BASED POLYMER CLAD TAPERED OPTICAL-FIBER GAS SENSORS, Optical engineering, 37(4), 1998, pp. 1124-1129
The possibility of utilizing certain polymers, known as variable-index
materials, as cladding in tapered optical fibers for gas sensing is e
xplored. We have shown that any small variation in the refractive inde
x of the cladding of a tapered single-mode fiber has a direct influenc
e on the transmission characteristic of the tapered region. A 4% devia
tion in the refractive index of a certain polymer is obtained upon the
exposure of the polymer to ammonia. Sensitivity, repeatability, and s
electivity of several fabricated sensors are also illustrated. (C) 199
8 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.