Highly sensitive RI and temperature sensor based on an asymmetric fiber coupler.

We propose and demonstrate a highly sensitive refractive index (RI) and temperature sensor based on an asymmetric fiber coupler (AFC). The AFC was fabricated by weak fusion of a pre-stretched single-mode fiber and a few-mode fiber. An ultra-sensitivity RI can be achieved near the dispersion turning point (DTP). The proposed RI sensor achieves a high RI sensitivity of -10,662.4nm/RIU within the RI range of 1.31-1.35. By packaging the AFC into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), the temperature sensitivity reaches 11.44 nm/°C. The proposed AFC with high RI and temperature sensitivity can be potentially used in the field of chemical monitoring, biochemical detection, and clinical diagnosis.