[OPTICAL REVIEW Vol. 15, No. 5 (2008) 230-235]
© 2008 The Optical Society of Japan
Mach–Zehnder All-Fiber Interferometer Using Two In-Series Fattened Fiber Gratings
Ruth I. MATA-CHÁVEZ*, Alejandro MARTÍNEZ-RÍOS, Ismael TORRES-GÓMEZ, Romeo SELVAS-AGUILAR1, and Julián M. ESTUDILLO-AYALA2
Centro de Investigaciones en Óptica, Lomas del Bosque 115, Colonia Lomas del Campestre, 37150, León, Guanajuato, México
1Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Ciudad Universitaria, Nuevo León, 66450, México
2Departamento de Electrónica, Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica Eléctrica y Electrónica, Universidad de Guanajuato, Apartado Postal 215-A, 36730 Salamanca, Guanajuato, México
(Received December 25, 2007; Accepted June 24, 2008)
We present an all-fiber Mach–Zehnder interferometer consisting of two consecutive fattened sections of dispersion-shifted fiber that act as in-series long period fiber gratings. The proposed Mach–Zehnder interferometer shows a broad fringe pattern ranging from 1000 to 1500 nm and is stable against changes in temperature and strain. By tapering a section of 5 mm in length to 50% diameter between the fattened sections we observe an increased sensitivity to temperature changes. The measured temperature and strain sensitivities were in the range of 9–17 pm/°C and 1.44–2.9 pm/με, respectively.
Key words: long-period grating, fattening, Mach–Zehnder, fiber devices, electric arc
*E-mail address: ruthi@cio.mx