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A tin dioxide thin layer has been studied in order to improve the sensitivity of lossy mode resonances (LMR) based sensors. The effects of the thin film thickness and the polarization of light in a SnO2 coated D-shaped single mode optical fiber have been evaluated. The optimization of such parameters in the fabrication of refractometers have led to an unprecedented sensitivity of over one million nanometers per refractive index unit (RIU), which means a sensitivity below 10^(−9) RIU with a pm resolution detector. This achievement is a milestone for the development of new high sensitivity devices and opens the door to new industrial applications, such as gear oil degradation, or biomedical devices where previous devices could not provide enough sensitivity. ; The authors would like to acknowledge the partial support to the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness TEC2016-79367-C2-2-R research funds, the Spanish Ministry of Education FPU15/05663 predoctoral research grant, the Public University of Navarre (UPNA) pre-doctoral research grant and Government of Navarre 2016/PC026 BIOPTSENS and 64/2015 research funds.

The application of an etching process in a single-mode multimode single-mode (SMS) fiber allows monitoring the change of refractive index of wind turbine gearbox oil due to temperature and degradation with a limitation at short temperatures, where the transmission and attenuation bands in the optical spectrum fade. The application of a black tin oxide nanocoating solves this issue and allows tuning the refractive index region where the sensitivity is maximum. The SMS was designed for operating at short wavelengths, where the setup is less expensive. The experimental results were contrasted with a theoretical analysis developed with FIMMWAVE, which allowed understanding better the phenomena involved in the experiments. ; This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science-FEDER TEC 2016-78047 and in part by the Government of Navarre through its project with reference 2017/PI044.

This work presents the experimental demonstration of lossy mode resonance generation by means of aluminum doped zinc oxide thin-films. The use of such material may allow to optimize the performance of LMR-based sensors, obtaining good sensitivity at lower costs than other overlays, such as those including indium. The refractometric response of the fabricated devices is explored in different spectral regions. One refractometer working in the near infrared region was fabricated, obtaining a sensitivity of 2280 nm/RIU. A second refractometer working in the visible light spectrum was also fabricated. This second device allows to observe rough refractive index variations with the naked eye as a change of the color of the light propagating through the fiber, simplifying the setup needed for its use. ; This work was partly supported by the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (TEC2016-79367-C2-2-R, TEC2016-78047-R ). The authors would also like to thanks the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU15/05663 grant) and the Government of Navarra 0C023/024 BIOPTSENS and 64/2015 research funds. Dafne A. Piña-Azamar thanks CONACYT for scholarship assigned and PFCE-UAT 2016 project for the financial support to carry out this work.

Nanocoated D-shaped optical fibers have been proven as effective sensors. Here, we show that the full width at half minimum (FWHM) of lossy mode resonance can be reduced by optimizing the nanocoating width, thickness and refractive index. As a counterpart, several resonances are observed in the optical spectrum for specific conditions. These resonances are caused by multiple modes guided in the nanocoating. By optimizing the width of the coating and the imaginary part of its refractive index, it is possible to isolate one of these resonances, which allows one to reduce the full width at half minimum of the device and, hence, to increase the figure of merit. Moreover, it is even possible to avoid the need of a polarizer by designing a device where the resonance bands for TE and TM polarization are centered at the same wavelength. This is interesting for the development of optical filters and sensors with a high figure of merit. ; Spanish Ministry of Education and Science-FEDER (TEC2013-43679-R, TEC2016-78047- R); Government of Navarra Health Department (64/2015, 72/2015); Government of Navarra 2016/PI008.

This work discusses an application of electrically conductive and optically transparent indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO) thin films for fabrication of lossy mode resonance (LMR) based optical fiber refractometers. The films have been deposited on both 200 μm in diameter multimode fused silica fiber and D-shaped fiber structure. A sensitivity of 12,929 nm/RIU was obtained in the refractive index range between 1.39 and 1.42. In case of D-shaped fiber structure the effect of polishing depth on the LMR phenomenon has also been studied. ; This work was supported in part by the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (TEC2016-79367-C2-2-R, TEC2016-78047-R), as well as by the Spanish Ministry of Education (FPU15/05663 grant) and the Government of Navarra 2016/PI044 NANOSEN, 0C023/024 BIOPTSENS and 64/2015 research funds. Support from National Science Centre, Poland within grant No. 2014/14/E/ST7/00104 is also acknowledged.

A simple method to prepare a nano pattern along the surface of an optical fiber is applied in this Letter to develop a pH sensor. The template is made of a block copolymer that defines specific locations where gold nano particles are adsorbed on forming clusters. The average diameter of the resulting agglomerates is 121 nm, and the mean distance between the centers is 182 nm. The morphology of the gold cluster array produces localized surface plasmon resonance. The absorbance spectrum is affected by pH variations, and the ratio between the absorption at two different wavelengths is used to characterize the response, which is repetitive and reversible. This Letter highlights the potentiality of this type of chemical nano patterning for the development of optical fiber sensors. ; Agencia Estatal de Investigación; Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (TEC2016-79367-C2-2-R); Government of Navarra (PI035 BINACS).

Thin-film coated single-mode–multimode–single-mode (SMS) structures have been analyzed both theoretically and experimentally with the aim of detecting different refractive indices. By adequate selection of the thickness of the thin film and of the diameter of the multimode segment in the SMS structure, a seven-fold improvement can be obtained in the sensitivity of the device to the surrounding medium refractive index, achieving a maximum sensitivity of 1199.18 nm∕refractive index unit for the range of refractive indices from 1.321 to 1.382. Using layer-by-layer self-assembly for deposition, both on the cladding and on the tip of the multimode segment, allows the reflected power to increase, which avoids the application of a mirror on the tip of the multimode segment. ; This work was supported in part by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science-FEDER TEC2010-17805 and Government of Navarra research grants.

By coating a single-mode–multimode–single-mode (SMS) structure with a high refractive index thin-film it is possible to obtain a transition of modes for specific combinations of thin-film thickness, thinfilm refractive index and surrounding medium refractive index, which permits to develop devices with a high sensitivity to specific parameters. In order to gain a better knowledge of the phenomenon the experimental results are corroborated numerically with the Transfer-Matrix-Method. The influence of losses in the thin-film has also been studied. The results obtained prove that a thin-film coated SMS structure is a simple and costeffective platform for development of sensors and optical filters. ; This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science-FEDER TEC2010-17805 and Government of Navarra research grants.

Graphene and its derivatives have become the most explored materials since Novoselov and Geim (Nobel Prize winners for Physics in 2010) achieved its isolation in 2004. The exceptional properties of graphene have attracted the attention of the scientific community from different research fields, generating high impact not only in scientific journals, but also in general-interest newspapers. Optical fibre sensing is one of the many fields that can benefit from the use of these new materials, combining the amazing morphological, chemical, optical and electrical features of graphene with the advantages that optical fibre offers over other sensing strategies. In this document, a review of the current state of the art for optical fibre sensors based on graphene materials is presented. ; This work was supported in part by the following Research Grants: Spanish Economy and Competitiveness Ministry-Feder TEC2013-43679-R, Government of Navarra Health Department 64/2015, and European Commission H2020-MSCA-IF-2015 703185.

In this work, optical fiber refractometers based on the successive incorporation of gold nanoparticles have been fabricated by means of the Layer-by-Layer Embedding (LbL-E) deposition technique. This enables the apparition of two different optical phenomena, Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) and Lossy Mode Resonance (LMR). The absorption peaks related to both phenomena were captured during the fabrication process, showing a different evolution as a function of the resultant thickness coating. Initially, LSPR band is observed for thinner coatings, whereas multi-LMR bands are observed as the thickness coating is increased. In addition, the response of both phenomena to variations of the surrounding medium refractive index (SMRI) was monitored, studying their different sensitivities. LSPR band only shows intensity variation with negligible wavelength displacement whereas LMR bands present a strong wavelength response. The combination of both resonances opens the door in the design of self-referenced optical devices for sensing applications. ; This work was supported by the Spanish Economy and Competitiveness Ministry-Feder TEC2013-43679-R and by the Government of Navarra research grants.

Póster presentado a las 10th Trends in Nanotechnology – TNT 09. Barcelona, 2009. ; In this article we propose a novel antibacterial coating composed of SiO2 and the polymer Poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) on glass slides by the technique Layer-by- Layer (LbL)1. This technique has already used in previous works, and it has the advantage that it allows to control the construction of nanosized and well organized multilayer films. In this work, the new nanotexturized LbL SiO2 surface acts as antibacterial agent. The fabricated coatings have been tested in bacterial cultures of genus Lactobacillus to observe their antibacterial properties. ; This work was funded in part by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science-FEDER TEC2006-12170/MIC Research Grant and Government of Navarre-FEDER Euroinnova Research Grants

Trabajo presentado en la Eurosensors 2017 Conference. París, 3–6 de septiembre de 2017. ; An optical fibre refractometer has been developed by etching and deposition of a thin film of indium tin oxide (ITO) on a single-mode-multimode-single-mode (SMS) fibre structure. The interference between modes in this structure is sensitive to the refractive index changes of the surrounding medium, achieving sensitivities of up to 7000 nm/RIU in the 1.333–1.338 RIU range. A salinity sensor has been implemented as a practical application of this proposed structure. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis and tracking of an interference dip were used to monitor the interference between modes obtaining sensitivities of 0.99 nm/PSU and 0.025 rad/PSU, respectively. ; This work was supported in part by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) (TEC2016-78047-R) and by the Government of Navarre through its projects with references: 2016/PI008, 2016/PC025 and 2016/PC026. As well, it was partially supported by the Colombian Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation - Colciencias, through the Program for national doctorates, calling 617 of 2013.

In this paper, a new optical fiber sensor for relative humidity measurements is presented and characterized. The sensor is based on a SnO2 sputtering deposition on a microstructured optical fiber (MOF) low-finesse Fabry-Pérot (FP) sensing head. The feasibility of the device as a breathing sensor is also experimentally demonstrated. The interrogation of the sensing head is carried out by monitoring the Fast Fourier Transform phase variations of the FP interference frequency. This method substitutes the necessity of tracking the optical spectrum peaks or valleys, which can be a handicap when noise or multiple contributions are present: therefore, it is low-sensitive to noise and to artifacts signal amplitude. The sensor shows a linear behavior in a wide relative humidity range (20%–90% relative humidity) in which the sensitivity is 0.14 rad/%; the maximum observed instability is 0.007 rad, whereas the highest hysteresis is 5% RH. The cross correlation with temperature is also considered and a method to lower its influence is proposed. For human breathing measurement, the registered rising and recovery times are 370 ms and 380 ms respectively. ; The authors are grateful to A. Ortigosa, D. Erro, Dr. M. Bravo and Dr. R.A. Perez-Herrera. We also thank the Spanish Government projects TEC2013-47264-C2-2-R, TEC 2016-76021-C2-1-R, TEC2016-78047-R, TEC2016-79367-C2-2-R, Innocampus and the Cost Action MP 1401, as well as to the AEI/FEDER Funds.

Trabajo presentado en la Eurosensors 2017 Conference. París, 3–6 de septiembre de 2017. ; In this work, the monitoring of the etching process up to a diameter of 30 µm of two LPFG structures has been compared, one of them had initially 125 µm, whereas the second one had 80 µm. By tracking the wavelength shift of the resonance bands during the etching process it is possible to check the quality of etching process (the 80 µm fibre performs better than de 125 µm fibre), and to stop for a specific cladding mode coupling, which permits to obtain an improved sensitivity compared to the initial structure. ; This work was supported by the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) TEC2016-78047-R and by the Government of Navarre through its projects with references: 2016/PI008, 2016/PC025 and 2016/PC026.

Lossy mode resonances can be obtained in the transmission spectrum of cladding removed multimode optical fiber coated with a thin-film. The sensitivity of these devices to changes in the properties of the coating or the surrounding medium can be optimized by means of the adequate parameterization of the coating refractive index, the coating thickness and the surrounding medium refractive index (SMRI). Some basic rules of design, which enable the selection of the best parameters for each specific sensing application, are indicated in this work. ; This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science-FEDER TEC2010-17805 and Government of Navarra research grants. Special thanks to FIDENA for the utilization of the SEM.