A terahertz plastic wire based evanescent field sensor for high sensitivity liquid detection

A highly sensitive detection method based on the evanescent wave of a terahertz subwavelength plastic wire was demonstrated for liquid sensing. Terahertz power spreading outside the wire core makes the waveguide dispersion sensitive to the cladding index variation, resulting in a considerable deviat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics express 2009-11, Vol.17 (23), p.20675-20683
Main Authors: You, Borwen, Liu, Tze-An, Peng, Jin-Long, Pan, Ci-Ling, Lu, Ja-Yu
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alcohols - chemistry
Computer Simulation
Equipment Design
Fiber Optic Technology
Optics and Photonics
Plastics
Terahertz Radiation
Terahertz Spectroscopy - methods
Triazines - chemistry
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Summary:A highly sensitive detection method based on the evanescent wave of a terahertz subwavelength plastic wire was demonstrated for liquid sensing. Terahertz power spreading outside the wire core makes the waveguide dispersion sensitive to the cladding index variation, resulting in a considerable deviation of waveguide dispersion. Two liquids with transparent appearances, water and alcohol, are easily distinguished based on the waveguide dispersion, which is consistent with theoretical predictions. A melamine alcohol solution with various concentrations is identified successfully, and the detection limit is up to 20ppm, i.e. equivalent to the index variation on the order of 0.01.
ISSN:1094-4087
1094-4087
DOI:10.1364/oe.17.020675