Fiber Bragg grating interrogation using wavelength modulated tunable distributed feedback lasers and a fiber-optic Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

This paper demonstrates a technique of high-resolution interrogation of two fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) with flat-topped reflection spectra centered on 1649.55 nm and 1530.182 nm with narrow line width tunable semiconductor lasers emitting at 1651.93 nm and 1531.52 nm, respectively. The spectral shift of the reflection spectrum in response to temperature and strain is accurately measured with a fiber-optic Mach-Zehnder interferometer that has a free spectral range of 0.0523 GHz and a broadband photodetector. Laser wavelength modulation and harmonic detection techniques are used to transform the gentle edges of the flat-topped FBG into prominent leading and trailing peaks that are up to five times narrower than the FBG spectrum. Either of these peaks can be used to accurately measure spectral shifts of the FBG reflection spectrum with a resolution down to a value of 0.47 pm. A digital signal processing board is used to measure the temperature-induced spectral shifts over the range of 30°C-80°C and strain-induced spectral shifts from 0  μϵ to 12,000  μϵ. The shift is linear in both cases with a temperature sensitivity of 12.8 pm/°C and strain sensitivity of 0.12  pm/μϵ. The distinctive feature of this technique is that it does not use an optical spectrum analyzer at any stage of its design or operation. It can be readily extended to all types of tunable diode lasers and is ideally suited for compact field instruments and for biomedical applications in stroke rehabilitation monitoring.