Improving the Sensitivity of an Ultraviolet Optical Sensor Based on a Fiber Bragg Grating by Coating With a Photoresponsive Material

This study was focused on developing an optical sensor that monitors ultraviolet (UV) light. Recently, we proposed and demonstrated a novel, highly sensitive UV sensor based on a fiber Bragg grating (FBG). To ensure that the incident UV light is focused on the FBG surface, the sensor was coated with an azobenzene polymer material that acts as a UV-induced stretchable functional material, in combination with a cylindrical focal lens. In this study we have improved the sensitivity of the sensor by employing a cylindrical focal mirror as a curved reflector, to refocus the UV light passing through the FBG. We considered the performance of several different types of reflectors and chose the optimal radius of curvature for the reflector. Compared to the UV sensor without an auxiliary device, the sensitivity of the FBG sensor with a focal lens and a curved reflector was 15 times as high.