Microstructured chalcogenide fibers for biological and chemical detection: case study: a CO2 sensor
Résumé
Chalcogenide glasses are well known materials due to their transparency in the infrared optical range and their ability to be drawn into optical fibers. Such fibers can transmit light from 1 to 20 μm depending on the composition of the glass constituting the fiber. Besides, microstructured silica fibers have been successfully used as fiber sensors as the holes can be filled with liquid or gas to achieve overlap of the mode field (doing the sensing) and the sample. Since gas generally shows a characteristic optical absorption spectrum in the mid-infrared, it can be detected selectively and quantitatively in a given environment by analysing mid-IR spectra, in a region where silica fibers can't be used due to their low transmission. Microstructured optical fibers made of chalcogenide glass will permit to implement this measurement and detect species such as CO2 through its absorption band near 4.2 μm.