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Photonics
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Optical Fiber Sensors: Design and Application
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Optical Fiber Sensors: Design and Application

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732). This special issue belongs to the section "Lasers, Light Sources and Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 5528

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yiwei Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Lab of In-Fiber Integrated Optics, Ministry Education of China, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China
Interests: optical fiber sensors; optical fiber design; long-period fiber grating
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zicheng Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Computer and Control Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
Interests: underwater robot attitude control; multi sensor data fusion; optical sensing; fiber optic gyroscope system
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jing Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical Engineering and Electronic Information, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: advanced multi-functional multi-material fiber; fiber-shaped optoelectronic devices; functional sensor devices

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Optical fiber sensors are renowned for their exceptional sensitivity, compactness, and ability to operate in harsh environments, making them essential in fields such as environmental monitoring, structural health diagnostics, biomedical applications, and industrial process control. This Special Issue focuses on the innovative design of optical fiber sensor structures, including fiber Bragg gratings, long-period gratings, interferometric sensors, and advanced micro-structured fibers. Emphasis will be placed on novel fabrication methods, the integration of functional materials, and approaches to enhance sensitivity, selectivity, and robustness. Interrogation techniques, such as wavelength-shift detection, phase modulation, polarization analysis, and distributed sensing, are crucial for converting optical signals into measurable data. The collection will explore developments in interrogation technologies, signal processing algorithms, and real-time monitoring systems to improve performance and reliability. Contributions showcasing applications of optical fiber sensors in emerging fields like industrial automation, aerospace, smart cities, IoT, autonomous systems, green energy solutions, and materials science are particularly encouraged.

This Special Issue seeks to provide a platform for researchers and engineers to present their cutting-edge work, foster collaboration, and drive innovation in the evolving field of optical fiber sensing.

This Special Issue aims to publish high-quality papers which study important emerging technologies in fiber sensing. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following topics:

  • Optical fiber sensors;
  • Optical signal processing technology;
  • Optical micro-cavity sensing technology;
  • Optical fiber processing technology;
  • Optical fiber gyro;
  • Optical fiber gratings;
  • Optical fiber 3D printing;
  • Microstructure fiber sensors;
  • New concepts for fiber optic sensors.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Yiwei Ma
Dr. Zicheng Wang
Prof. Dr. Jing Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • optical fiber sensors
  • optical fiber sensing
  • optical fiber gyro
  • optical fiber gratings
  • optical data processing
  • photonic material
  • structure-modulated fiber sensor
  • signal processing
  • microstructure fiber sensors

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 4698 KB  
Article
Numerical Analysis of an Ultra-Sensitive Optical Fiber for Hemoglobin Concentration Detection
by Aryan Abbaszadeh, Somayeh Makouei, Samrand Rash-Ahmadi and Sebelan Danishvar
Photonics 2025, 12(9), 933; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12090933 - 19 Sep 2025
Viewed by 655
Abstract
Hemoglobin is a vital protein in the human body, and its deficiency leads to anemia. This condition reduces oxygen levels in red blood cells, which can be life-threatening. This paper presents the design of a novel optical fiber (OF) sensor for label-free detection [...] Read more.
Hemoglobin is a vital protein in the human body, and its deficiency leads to anemia. This condition reduces oxygen levels in red blood cells, which can be life-threatening. This paper presents the design of a novel optical fiber (OF) sensor for label-free detection of hemoglobin concentration. The sensor features concentric layers of gold and silica arranged sequentially. Finite element method (FEM) simulations were used to analyze its performance. The results indicate that for a refractive index (RI) range of 1.34 to 1.41, the sensor achieves a wavelength sensitivity (Sw) of up to 38,000 nm/RIU and an amplitude sensitivity (SA) of 11,280 RIU−1. The sensor exhibits a resolution of 1.85 × 10−6 RIU and a figure of merit (FOM) of 736.56 RIU−1. Its simple construction and high sensitivity make it a promising candidate for hemoglobin detection applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Fiber Sensors: Design and Application)
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13 pages, 3349 KB  
Article
Magnetostrictive Behavior of Metglas® 2605SC and Acoustic Sensing Optical Fiber for Distributed Static Magnetic Field Detection
by Zach Dejneka, Daniel Homa, Logan Theis, Anbo Wang and Gary Pickrell
Photonics 2025, 12(9), 914; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12090914 - 12 Sep 2025
Viewed by 743
Abstract
Fiber optic technologies have strong potential to augment and improve existing areas of sensor performance across many applications. Magnetic sensing, in particular, has attracted significant interest in structural health monitoring and ferromagnetic object detection. However, current technologies such as fluxgate magnetometers and inspection [...] Read more.
Fiber optic technologies have strong potential to augment and improve existing areas of sensor performance across many applications. Magnetic sensing, in particular, has attracted significant interest in structural health monitoring and ferromagnetic object detection. However, current technologies such as fluxgate magnetometers and inspection gauges rely on measuring magnetic fields as single-point sensors. By using fiber optic distributed strain sensors in tandem with magnetically biased magnetostrictive material, static and dynamic magnetic fields can be detected across long lengths of sensing fiber. This paper investigates the relationship between Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG)-based strain sensors and the magnetostrictive alloy Metglas® 2605SC for the distributed detection of static fields for use in a compact cable design. Sentek Instrument’s picoDAS system is used to interrogate the FBG based sensors coupled with Metglas® that is biased with an alternating sinusoidal magnetic field. The sensing system is then exposed to varied external static magnetic field strengths, and the resultant strain responses are analyzed. A minimum magnetic field strength on the order of 300 nT was able to be resolved and a variety of sensing configurations and conditions were also tested. The sensing system is compact and can be easily cabled as both FBGs and Metglas® are commercialized and readily acquired. In combination with the robust and distributed nature of fiber sensors, this demonstrates strong promise for new means of magnetic characterization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Fiber Sensors: Design and Application)
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8 pages, 2358 KB  
Article
Passive Time-Division Multiplexing Fiber Optic Sensor for Magnetic Field Detection Applications in Current Introduction
by Yong Liu, Junjun Xiong, Junchang Huang, Fubin Pang, Yi Zhao and Li Xia
Photonics 2025, 12(5), 506; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12050506 - 19 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 624
Abstract
Under the dual impetus of the “Dual Carbon” goals and the construction of smart grids, the development of new energy power infrastructure has been fully realized. The All-Fiber Optical Current Transformer (FOCT), leveraging its unique advantages, is in the process of supplanting traditional [...] Read more.
Under the dual impetus of the “Dual Carbon” goals and the construction of smart grids, the development of new energy power infrastructure has been fully realized. The All-Fiber Optical Current Transformer (FOCT), leveraging its unique advantages, is in the process of supplanting traditional current transformers to become the core component of power system monitoring equipment. Currently, to achieve higher precision and stability in magnetic field or current detection, FOCT structures frequently incorporate active components such as Y-waveguides and phase modulators, and closed-loop feedback systems are often used in demodulation. This has led to issues of high cost, complex demodulation, and difficult maintenance, significantly hindering the further advancement of FOCTs. Addressing the problems of high cost and complex demodulation, this paper proposes a passive multiplexing structure that achieves time-domain multiplexing of pulsed sensing signals, designs a corresponding intensity demodulation algorithm, and applies this structure to FOCTs. This enables low-cost, simple-demodulation current sensing, which can also be utilized for magnetic field detection, showcasing vast application potential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Fiber Sensors: Design and Application)
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14 pages, 6014 KB  
Article
Highly Sensitive Temperature Sensor Based on a UV Glue-Filled Fabry–Perot Interferometer Utilizing the Vernier Effect
by Chengwen Qiang, Chu Chu, Yuhan Wang, Xinghua Yang, Xinyu Yang, Yuting Hou, Xingyue Wen, Pingping Teng, Bo Zhang, Sivagunalan Sivanathan, Adam Jones and Kang Li
Photonics 2025, 12(3), 256; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12030256 - 13 Mar 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2544
Abstract
A parallel Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) optical fiber sensor, enhanced with UV glue, was proposed for environmental temperature detection. The UV glue is applied to the fiber’s sensing region using a coating method, forming an FP cavity through misalignment welding, allowing the FP to [...] Read more.
A parallel Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI) optical fiber sensor, enhanced with UV glue, was proposed for environmental temperature detection. The UV glue is applied to the fiber’s sensing region using a coating method, forming an FP cavity through misalignment welding, allowing the FP to function as a temperature sensor. In parallel, a reference FPI with a similar free spectral range (FSR) is connected, generating a Vernier effect that amplifies small changes in the refractive index (RI) of the sensing region. The study demonstrates that UV glue enhances the temperature-sensing capabilities of the FP, and when combined with the Vernier effect, it significantly improves the sensitivity of a single interferometric sensor. The temperature sensitivity of the parallel-connected FPI is −2.80219 nm/°C, which is 7.768 times greater than that of a single FPI (−0.36075 nm/°C). The sensor shows high sensitivity, stability, and reversibility, making it promising for temperature-monitoring applications in various fields, including everyday use, industrial production, and the advancement of optical fiber temperature-sensing technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Fiber Sensors: Design and Application)
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Review

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35 pages, 9700 KB  
Review
Structure-Modulated Long-Period Fiber Gratings: A Review
by Tianyu Du, Hongwei Ding, Feng Wang, You Li and Yiwei Ma
Photonics 2025, 12(11), 1097; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12111097 - 7 Nov 2025
Viewed by 108
Abstract
Structure-Modulated Long-Period Fiber Gratings (SM-LPFGs) represent an advancement in fiber optic sensor technology, moving beyond traditional photosensitivity-based fabrication to achieve enhanced performance through the direct physical modification of the geometry of the fiber. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the primary fabrication [...] Read more.
Structure-Modulated Long-Period Fiber Gratings (SM-LPFGs) represent an advancement in fiber optic sensor technology, moving beyond traditional photosensitivity-based fabrication to achieve enhanced performance through the direct physical modification of the geometry of the fiber. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the primary fabrication techniques enabling this approach, including CO2 laser inscription, femtosecond laser micromachining, electric-arc discharge, chemical etching, and fusion tapering. The central focus of this work is the elucidation of the definitive structure–performance relationship, systematically detailing how engineered geometries such as helical profiles, micro-tapers, and asymmetric grooves unlock novel sensing capabilities. We demonstrate how these specific structures are strategically designed to induce circular birefringence for torsion measurement, enhance evanescent field interaction for ultra-sensitive refractive index detection, and create localized stress concentrations for high-resolution strain and vector bending sensing. Furthermore, the review surveys the practical implementation of these sensors in critical application domains, including structural health monitoring, biomedical diagnostics, and environmental sensing. Finally, we conclude by summarizing key achievements and identifying promising future research directions, such as the development of hybrid fabrication processes, the integration of machine learning for advanced signal demodulation, and the path towards industrial-scale production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optical Fiber Sensors: Design and Application)
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