This paper presents an overview of optical fiber sensor networks for remote sensing. Firstly, the state of the art of remote fiber sensor systems has been considered. We have summarized the great evolution of these systems in recent years; this progress confirms that fiber-optic remote sensing is a promising technology with a wide field of practical applications. Afterwards, the most representative remote fiber-optic sensor systems are briefly explained, discussing their schemes, challenges, pros and cons. Finally, a synopsis of the main factors to take into consideration in the design of a remote sensor system is gathered. ; This work was supported by the Spanish Government project TEC2010-20224-C02-01.
This work experimentally proposes a new interrogation method which consists on the combination of the information given by both domains: time and frequency. On the one hand, the sensor information is obtained in the frequency domain as usual and, on the other hand, the detection of the different pulses generated through mode locking allows the identification of each FBG. It has been proved that FBGs spaced less than 0.15 nm can be interrogated. The sensor network based on simple ring Erbium doped fiber laser using the FBGs, located in a serial configuration, as wavelength selective reflectors for the lasing structure, acting them also as the sensing transducers elements. ; This work was supported in part by the Spanish Government projects TEC2013-47264-C2-2-R, innocampus and FEDER funds.
We propose and demonstrate two ultra-long range fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor interrogation systems. In the first approach four FBGs are located 200 km from the monitoring station and a signal to noise ratio of 20 dB is obtained. The second improved version is able to detect the four multiplexed FBGs placed 250 km away, offering a signal to noise ratio of 6-8 dB. Consequently, this last system represents the longest range FBG sensor system reported so far that includes fiber sensor multiplexing capability. Both simple systems are based on a wavelength swept laser to scan the reflection spectra of the FBGs, and they are composed by two identical-lengths optical paths: the first one intended to launch the amplified laser signal by means of Raman amplification and the other one is employed to guide the reflection signal to the reception system. ; This work was supported by the Spanish Government project TEC2010-20224-C02-01.
A characterization of a modulated random mirror laser has been experimentally carried out. Unlike conventional internally modulated fiber lasers, no distortion of the modulating frequency or self-mode-locking effects were measured. The behavior of the laser using pulsed and analog modulation up to 12 GHz is shown. ; This work was supported by the Spanish Government project TEC2010-20224-C02-01.
The ability to operate despite failure will become increasingly important as the use of optical sensor networks grows, and the amount of sensing information to be handled by a sensor network is increasing, especially for safety and security applications. In this review, the four categories of protection to allow service to be reestablished after a failure (dedicated/shared and line/path) are thoroughly discussed. This paper also presents an overview of the most representative robust fiber-optic sensor systems, discussing their schemes, pros and cons. ; The authors are grateful to the Spanish Government project TEC2010-20224-C02-01.
Transparent conductive electrodes based on graphene have been previously proposed as an attractive candidate for optoelectronic devices. While graphene alone lacks the antireflectance properties needed in many applications, it can still be coupled with traditional transparent conductive oxides, further enhancing their electrical performance. In this work, the effect of combining indium tin oxide with between one and three graphene monolayers as the top electrode in silicon heterojunction solar cells is analyzed. Prior to the metal grid deposition, the electrical conductance of the hybrid electrodes was evaluated through reflection-mode terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. The obtained conductance maps showed a clear electrical improvement with each additional graphene sheet. In the electrical characterization of the finished solar cells, this translated to a meaningful reduction in the series resistance and an increase in the devices' fill factor. On the other hand, each additional sheet absorbs part of the incoming radiation, causing the short circuit current to simultaneously decrease. Consequently, additional graphene monolayers past the first one did not further enhance the efficiency of the reference cells. Ultimately, the increase obtained in the fill factor endorses graphene-based hybrid electrodes as a potential concept for improving solar cells' efficiency in future novel designs. ; This research was funded by DIGRAFEN, grant number ENE2017–88065-C2-2-R. The APC was funded by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness from Spain. das-Nano and UPNA would also like to acknowledge the funding from the Government of Navarra and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), 2020 I + D projects: ref. 0011-1365-2020-000026 for das-Nano and ref. 0011-1365-2020-000045 for UPNA.
A new stable dual-wavelength fiber-ring laser based on erbium-doped fiber amplification is reported. The laser is based on ring resonators and employs fiber Bragg gratings to select the operation wavelengths. The topology of the laser has a significant influence in its performance: allowing an independent control of the losses for both lasing wavelengths and achieving a low noise configuration. As a result, it is experimentally demonstrated that both emission lines work in single-longitudinal-mode operation and the topology offers a better stability and higher optical signalto-noise ratios than similar configurations. ; The authors are grateful to the Spanish Government project TEC2010-20224-C02-01.
In this work, a novel single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) dual-wavelength laser configuration is proposed and demonstrated. This laser is based on ring resonators, and employs fiber Bragg gratings to select the operation wavelengths. It includes a short piece of highly doped Er-fiber that acts as the active medium. The stable SLM operation is guaranteed when the two lasing channels present similar output powers. This behavior is shown for different pump powers. ; This work was supported in part by the Spanish Government project TEC2007-67987-C02 and in part by the European project COST-299.
This work experimentally demonstrates a long-range optical fiber sensing network for the multiplexing of fiber sensors based on photonic crystal fibers. Specifically, six photonic crystal fiber sensors which are based on a Sagnac interferometer that includes a suspended-core fiber have been used. These sensors offer a high sensitivity for microdisplacement measurements. The fiber sensor network presents a ladder structure and its operation mode is based on a fiber ring laser which combines Raman and Erbium doped fiber amplification. Thus, we show the first demonstration of photonic crystal fiber sensors for remote measurement applications up to 75 km. ; The authors are grateful to the Spanish Government project TEC2010-20224-C02-01 and to the European Cost Action TD-1001.
In the present work, a multiwavelength fiber laser based in the combination of a double-random mirror and a suspended-core Sagnac interferometer is presented. The double-random mirror acts by itself as a random laser, presenting a 30dB SNR, as result of multiple Rayleigh scattering events produced in the dispersion compensating fibers by the Raman amplification. The suspended-core fiber Sagnac interferometer provides the multi peak channeled spectrum, which can be tuned by changing the length of the fiber. The result of this combination is a stable multiwavelength peak laser with a minimum of ~25dB SNR, which is highly sensitive to polarization induced variations. ; The authors are grateful to the Spanish Government project TEC2010-20224-C02-01 and to the European Cost Action TD-1001.
New architectures of transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) incorporating graphene monolayers in different configurations have been explored with the aim to improve the performance of silicon-heterojunction (SHJ) cell front transparent contacts. In SHJ technology, front electrodes play an important additional role as anti-reflectance (AR) coatings. In this work, different transparent-conductive-oxide (TCO) thin films have been combined with graphene monolayers in different configurations, yielding advanced transparent electrodes specifically designed to minimize surface reflection over a wide range of wavelengths and angles of incidence and to improve electrical performance. A preliminary analysis reveals a strong dependence of the optoelectronic properties of the TCEs on (i) the order in which the different thin films are deposited or the graphene is transferred and (ii) the specific TCO material used. The results shows a clear electrical improvement when three graphene monolayers are placed on top on 80-nm-thick ITO thin film. This optimum TCE presents sheet resistances as low as 55 Ω/sq and an average conductance as high as 13.12 mS. In addition, the spectral reflectance of this TCE also shows an important reduction in its weighted reflectance value of 2-3%. Hence, the work undergone so far clearly suggests the possibility to noticeably improve transparent electrodes with this approach and therefore to further enhance silicon-heterojunction cell performance. These results achieved so far clearly open the possibility to noticeably improve TCEs and therefore to further enhance SHJ contact-technology performance. ; This research was partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science & Innovation under the project DIGRAFEN, grant number (ENE2017-88065-C2-1-R) and (ENE2017-88065-C2-2-R). J.P. acknowledges support from Spanish MINECO (Grant RyC-2015-18968). R.S.F. acknowledges support from European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 642688. M.A.P. acknowledges support from Spanish MINECO (Grant FJCI-2016-29146).
An experimental comparison of stability between two different fiber laser topologies is carried out. The lasers are based on ring resonators that include highly-doped Er-fibers. Both topologies use fiber Bragg grating reflectors in order to select the emission wavelengths. The experimental results confirms that the novel topology based on fiber optic circulators arranged in an hybrid serial-parallel configuration offers a better stability and higher optical signal to noise ratios (OSNR) than the simpler based on a parallel configuration. ; This work was supported in part by the Spanish Government TEC2007-67987-C02, European COST-299.
Recently, random mirrors have been proposed as a method to create fiber laser cavities. This kind of cavity is based on cooperative Rayleigh scattering, which is generated along a fiber due to the material inhomogeneities presented in that fiber. In this work, basics of Random fiber lasers and different demonstrated lasing sensors systems for interrogating arrays of optical fiber sensors are shown. These systems use different kinds of amplification and cavities schemes and can interrogate optical fiber sensors located up to 225 km away. ; The authors would like to thank the financial support from Spanish Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología within projects TEC2016-76021-C2-1-R and TEC2013-47264-C2-2-R, Campus Iberus and FEDER funds from the European Union.
