Graphene enhanced evanescent field in microfiber multimode interferometer for highly sensitive gas sensing.

Graphene based new physics phenomena are leading to a variety of stimulating graphene-based photonic devices. In this study, the enhancement of surface evanescent field by graphene cylindrical cladding is observed, for the first time, by using a graphene-coated microfiber multi-mode interferometer (GMMI). It is found theoretically and experimentally that the light transmitting in the fiber core is efficiently dragged by the graphene, hence significantly enhancing the evanescent fields, and subsequently improving the sensitivity of the hybrid waveguide. The experimental results for gas sensing verified the theoretical prediction, and ultra-high sensitivities of ~0.1 ppm for NH(3) gas detection and ~0.2 ppm for H(2)O vapor detection are achieved, which could be used for trace analysis. The enhancement of surface evanescent field induced by graphene may pave a new way for developing novel graphene-based all-fiber devices with compactness, low cost, and temperature immunity.

[1]  A. Marini,et al.  Graphene-clad tapered fiber: effective nonlinearity and propagation losses. , 2013, Optics letters.

[2]  F. Xia,et al.  Photoconductivity of biased graphene , 2012, Nature Photonics.

[3]  Nikhil Koratkar,et al.  High sensitivity detection of NO2 and NH3 in air using chemical vapor deposition grown graphene , 2012 .

[4]  Yanrong Li,et al.  Flexible graphene-based electroluminescent devices. , 2011, ACS nano.

[5]  G. A. Cárdenas-Sevilla,et al.  Optical microfiber mode interferometer for temperature-independent refractometric sensing. , 2012, Optics letters.

[6]  Jing Kong,et al.  Broad electrical tuning of graphene-loaded plasmonic antennas. , 2013, Nano letters.

[7]  Zhenhua Ni,et al.  Broadband graphene polarizer , 2011 .

[8]  F. J. García de abajo,et al.  Graphene nanophotonics , 2016, 2016 Progress in Electromagnetic Research Symposium (PIERS).

[9]  Sailing He,et al.  Broadband THz Absorbers With Graphene-Based Anisotropic Metamaterial Films , 2013, IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology.

[10]  Ashkan Vakil,et al.  Transformation optics using graphene: One-atom-thick optical devices based on graphene , 2012 .

[11]  Sergey G. Menabde,et al.  Unusual Otto excitation dynamics and enhanced coupling of light to TE plasmons in graphene. , 2014, Optics express.

[12]  García de Abajo Fj.  Graphene Nanophotonics , 2013, Science.

[13]  S. Kawata,et al.  Plasmonically nanoconfined light probing invisible phonon modes in defect-free graphene. , 2013, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[14]  Yunjiang Rao,et al.  Demonstration of complex refractive index of graphene waveguide by microfiber-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer. , 2013, Optics express.

[15]  A. M. van der Zande,et al.  Regenerative oscillation and four-wave mixing in graphene optoelectronics , 2012, Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics.

[16]  C. Soukoulis,et al.  Graphene for Terahertz Applications , 2013, Science.

[17]  Limin Tong,et al.  Single-mode guiding properties of subwavelength-diameter silica and silicon wire waveguides. , 2004, Optics express.

[18]  Xiang Zhang,et al.  A graphene-based broadband optical modulator , 2011, Nature.

[19]  Yunjiang Rao,et al.  Graphene-coated microfiber Bragg grating for high-sensitivity gas sensing. , 2014, Optics letters.

[20]  F. Xia,et al.  Graphene photodetectors for high-speed optical communications , 2010, 1009.4465.

[21]  S. Mikhailov,et al.  New electromagnetic mode in graphene. , 2007, Physical review letters.

[22]  Ultrahigh refractive index sensitivity of TE-polarized electromagnetic waves in graphene at the interface between two dielectric media. , 2013, Optics express.

[23]  A. N. Grigorenko,et al.  Graphene plasmonics , 2012, Nature Photonics.

[24]  N. Peres,et al.  Fine Structure Constant Defines Visual Transparency of Graphene , 2008, Science.

[25]  A. Ferrari,et al.  Graphene Photonics and Optoelectroncs , 2010, CLEO 2012.

[26]  J. Aizpurua,et al.  Controlling subnanometer gaps in plasmonic dimers using graphene. , 2013, Nano letters.

[27]  J Moger,et al.  Coherent nonlinear optical response of graphene. , 2010, Physical review letters.

[28]  Wei Li,et al.  Ultrafast all-optical graphene modulator. , 2014, Nano letters.

[29]  X. He,et al.  Wavelength-tunable, passively mode-locked fiber laser based on graphene and chirped fiber Bragg grating. , 2012, Optics letters.

[30]  Xiaoyi Bao,et al.  Tapered-fiber-based refractive index sensor at an air/solution interface. , 2012, Applied optics.

[31]  Rui Li,et al.  Comparison of Graphene-Based Transverse Magnetic and Electric Surface Plasmon Modes , 2014, IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics.

[32]  Roland G. S. Goh,et al.  Giant broadband nonlinear optical absorption response in dispersed graphene single sheets , 2011 .

[33]  John Canning,et al.  Manipulating and controlling the evanescent field within optical waveguides using high index nanolayers , 2011 .

[34]  K. Novoselov,et al.  Detection of individual gas molecules adsorbed on graphene. , 2006, Nature materials.

[35]  Fengnian Xia,et al.  Graphene Nanophotonics , 2011, IEEE Photonics Journal.

[36]  Qiang Wu,et al.  High-sensitivity, evanescent field refractometric sensor based on a tapered, multimode fiber interference. , 2011, Optics letters.

[37]  Yunjiang Rao,et al.  All-optical Mach–Zehnder interferometric NH3 gas sensor based on graphene/microfiber hybrid waveguide , 2014 .

[38]  Jong-Hyun Ahn,et al.  Extremely efficient flexible organic light-emitting diodes with modified graphene anode , 2012, Nature Photonics.

[39]  D. Basko,et al.  Graphene mode-locked ultrafast laser. , 2009, ACS nano.

[40]  G. Hanson.  Dyadic Green's functions and guided surface waves for a surface conductivity model of graphene , 2007, cond-mat/0701205.