The Missile Defense Agency's Advanced Technology Office is developing advanced passive electro-optical and infrared
sensors for future space-based seekers by exploring new infrared detector materials. A Type II strained layer
superlattice, one of the materials under development, has shown great potential for space applications. Theoretical
results indicate that strained layer superlattice has the promise to be superior to current infrared sensor materials, such as
HgCdTe, quantum well infrared photodetectors, and Si:As. Strained layer superlattice-based infrared detector materials
combine the advantages of HgCdTe and quantum well infrared photodetectors. The bandgap of strained layer
superlattice can be tuned for strong broadband absorption throughout the short-, mid-, long-, and very long wavelength
infrared bands. The electronic band structure can be engineered to suppress Auger recombination noise and reduce the
tunneling current. The device structures can be easily stacked for multicolor focal plane arrays. The III-V semiconductor
fabrication offers the potential of producing low-defect-density, large-format focal plane arrays with high uniformity and
high operability. A current program goal is to extend wavelengths to longer than 14 μm for space applications. This
paper discusses the advantages of strained layer superlattice materials and describes efforts to improve the material
quality, device design, and device processing.
We report high sensitivity fiber Bragg grating temperature sensors. Temperature sensitivity of 175 pm/°C and a resolution of 0.002°C rms is reported. A shear-lag strain transfer model is utilized to optimize the sensor's thermal responsivity.
In many situations, it is desirable to measure the load acting in a specific direction by measuring the strain induced by Poisson effects in a direction perpendicular to the load direction. For this to be possible, a fixed relationship between the strains in both directions must be known. This can be useful, for example, when the geometry is such that there is not sufficient room to locate a strain gauge parallel to the load direction but a gauge can be placed in a transverse plane. In this paper, we investigate the use of a fiber Bragg grating in such an arrangement with the fiber embedded within the host material. The investigation is done by theoretical, numerical and experimental approaches and we concentrate on two aspects: (1) the non-uniform strain transfer, particular in axial strains, due to shear-lag effects, and (2) the effect of induced birefringence in the optical fiber due to a load cross to its axis. The results of these approaches indicate that the strains of an embedded fiber sensor subjected to transverse loads are dependent on the location of the embedded sensor and the material properties of the host material. The results also show that when the Young's modulus of the host material is much less than the modulus of the embedded sensor, the Bragg spectrum broadening due to induced birefringence is not significant. However, a lower host Young's modulus also results in longer sections on non-uniform axial strain near the ingress and egress sections of the optical fiber. These two factors must be balanced if we desire to use conventional methods of Bragg grating interrogation that measure only the central wavelength of the Bragg grating's spectrum. In the case investigated (Host Young's modulus of 4.83 GPa) full strain build-up requires approximately 4 mm of fiber length at each end. Likewise, the transverse stress coupling into the fiber modifies its wavelength-shift-to-axial-strain- coefficient by about 6%.
A soil pressure transducer by using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors associated with a circular diaphragm is developed. The FBG based transducers can be used for pavement performance study and weigh-in-motion measurement. We consider three methods of bonding the FBG to the diaphragm: (1) radially, (2) radially, inside a glass capillary, and (3) circumferentially. The investigation of strain-gradient induced spectral broadening in FBG-based transducers is conducted since spectral broadening can have adverse effects on the sensor interrogations. We derive analytical closed form results for describing measurand-induced strain gradients in circular geometry transducers, which allow us to experimentally demonstrate novel FBG bonding approaches that eliminate spectral broadening. In addition, Bragg spectral broadening analysis using T-matrix calculation is also conducted to validate some of the experimental results. Two prototypes of soil pressure transducers are field tested at the Cold Region Research Engineering Laboratory (CRREL). The buried pressure transducers are impact-tested by use of a Falling-Weight- Deflectometer (FWD), and detected by NRL-developed FBG interrogation device. Lastly, we use the Boussinesq equation to verify the soil stress measured by the buried transducers.
There is increasing demand for monitoring the national highway infrastructure. This demand is supported by the fact that in United States alone, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has deemed approximately one half of the 260,000 km of roadway contained in the National Highway System as poor to fair and about 110,000 out of 470,000 bridges as deficient [1].
We report a high sensitivity pressure sensor utilizing optical fibers coated with novel polymers. Pressure sensitivity of 5 pico-m/psi for the fiber Bragg grating based and −155 dB radian/μPa for interferometric sensor is reported.
We report underwater explosion test results of the effect of shock wave pressure on an optical cable link in a fiber- optic velocimeter. The shock wave induced Doppler frequency shifts in the optical carrier transmitted in an optical cable link were measured. Two experimental configurations were tested: (1) optical cable arranged with its axis parallel to the wave front of the shock wave and (2) optical cable arranged with its axis perpendicular to the wave front of the shock wave. Results from both case indicated moments of signal fading due to dynamic flexing on the optical fiber resulting in optical power loss and polarization changes. In addition, the shock wave front moving along the fiber cable may have generated a dynamic axial strain on the optical fiber and caused a Doppler shift in the optical carrier similar to that from a moving target.
Multiplexed FBG strain sensors are currently deployed for the monitoring and analysis of structural loading worldwide. One remaining issue is the separation of the strain-induced wavelength shift from that induced by temperature changes.
Under the Composite Hull Embedded Sensor System (CHESS) program, which is a co-operative program run jointly by FFI and NRL, a drop test with a composite sandwich plate has been performed [1]. The plate was designed to have similar mechanical properties to a bottom panel in the Norwegian Navy’s new fast patrol boat (MTB).
An interesting and increasingly popular method of building steel and concrete composite bridges involves the use of a large steel based structure called a box- girder. These massive structures, which have dimensions on the order of 5m x 5m x 150m with wall thickness sometimes exceeding 5 cm, are assembled by welding together many shorter (e.g. 5m x 5m x 5 m) box-girder pieces near a bridge building site.
A fiber optic infrared (IR) spectroscopic system to be used with the cone penetrometer has been developed. This system can be used to perform real time, in-situ site characterization and analysis by identifying and quantifying organic contaminants in soil.
A compact, ruggedized fiber optic IR reflectance probe for remote, in-situ screening of underground waste sites has been developed. Using cabled chalcogenide optical fibers and a FTIR system, remote spectroscopy has been performed over distances of 20 meters. This paper discusses the design and performance of this system.
Nonlinear transduction mechanism in electrostrictive and magnetostrictive materials is exploited to demonstrate multiplexed low frequency fiber optic electric and magnetic field sensors. The sensor utilizes a single interferometer and a single unmodulated laser while demonstrating extremely low cross-talk between the electric and magnetic channels. Low frequency electromagnetic signals from remotely located electric and magnetic dipoles are detected with the fiber optic sensor.
We demonstrate a fiber optic interferometric dc and low frequency voltage sensor based on the electrostrictive effect in lead magnesium niobate (PMN) transducers. The sensor exhibits ultra-low drift and has a noise floor of 35 nV/?Hz at 10 mHz and 20 nV/?Hz at 1 Hz.
A high strain resolution fiber optic interferometer is utilized to characterize the nonlinear magnetostrictive dynamics of amorphous ferromagnetic ribbons. Strain response of the magnetostrictive oscillator is found to exhibit several interesting routes to chaos as a function of applied dc and ac magnetic fields. In particular, we study parametric effects near a period doubling bifurcation. Small signal gain predicted near a super-critical period doubling bifurcation is verified in this system and has been used to demonstrate a fiber optic magnetic field sensor with gain. For appropriate parameter settings, the magnetostrictive oscillator also displayed a hysteretic sub-critical bifurcation. Stochastic resonance (SR) has been observed near such a sub-critical bifurcation. Suggestions are made regarding the exploitation of the SR effect for making novel magnetic field sensors.
We review developments over the past five years in fiber optic magnetometry based on magnetostriction. Recent work has demonstrated
detection of magnetic fields from dc to over 1 MHz with resolution of 10 pT P1Hz at 1 .0 Hz and 0.07 pTpIHz at35 kHz
in laboratory devices. We present the basic device operating principles and discuss factors which limit the resolution of fiber
optic interferometric magnetic sensors. Results are presented for a number of configurations including a ruggedized, compact,
three-axis magnetometer for dc and low-frequency measurements, a single-axis gradiometer, a single-axis heterodyne configuration
for narrowband detection of fields in the frequency range 0.01 Hz to 1 MHz, and a magnetostrictive oscillator which exhibits
period doubling bifurcations and chaos.
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