New-generation all-fibre grating sensing and spectroscopy

今天的大多数光谱仪涉及自由空间传播和大尺寸光栅，失去了小型化的显著好处，即便携式光谱仪所承诺的高分辨率，高色散和方向性。光谱学市场正以每年11%的速度适度增长，这主要得益于新兴的小型化技术，该技术使光谱学分析能够从智能手机等便携式手持产品中进行。这一市场的主要驱动力是工业生产、农业和环境监测、即时医疗设备和消费产品对光学传感的需求。应用领域包括生命科学、材料化学、食品和农业、环境测试、法医学、纳米技术和药物发现。光纤在从光通信到手术引导工具的各种市场应用中无处不在地传递光信号。在最近的进展中，光纤的超快激光加工改进了光栅写入的几何控制，使光的光谱辐射到光纤外部，这为超薄和柔性光纤光谱仪奠定了基础。我们的团队已经组装了基础技术，包括新颖的纳米加工工具，可以灵活地将微型器件元件与多伦多大学最先进的超快激光加工设备加工成光纤。这些过程是可重复的，并且速度相对较快，可以为潜在客户进行原型设计。我们的团队已经为创造高折射率对比度开辟了一条技术途径，并设计了新颖的光栅图案，这些图案结合在一起，大大提高了薄光纤的辐射效率。该技术为在光学玻璃线内制造光谱仪开辟了新的方向。本方案支持对新概念全光纤光谱仪的潜在市场进行一级发现和评估，寻求占地面积小、生产成本低、与光纤信息高速公路相结合的优势。

Most of today's optical spectrometers involve free space propagation and large size gratings, missing the significant benefits of miniaturization, namely, high resolution, high dispersion, and directionality promised by portable spectrometers. Spectroscopy markets are enjoying moderate growth of 11% per year, driven largely by emerging miniaturization technology that enables spectroscopic assays to be carried out from portable hand-held products such as a smartphone. This market is driven most significantly by demand for optical sensing in industrial production, agriculture and environment monitoring, point-of-care medical devices and consumer products. The application sectors include Life Sciences, Material Chemistry, Food and Agriculture, Environmental Testing, Forensics, Nanotechnology, and Drug Discovery.Optical fibers are ubiquitous in relaying light signals in diverse market applications from optical communications to surgical guidance tools. In recent advances, ultrafast laser processing of optical fibre has improved the geometric control over the grating writing to enable the spectral radiation of the light to outside of the fibre-defining a basis for ultra-thin and flexible fibre spectrometers. The base know-how has been assembled by our group, encompassing novel nano-processing tools that flexibly shape miniature device elements into optical fibres with state-of-the-art ultrafast laser processing facilities at the University of Toronto. The processes are reproducible and relative high speed to enable prototyping for potential customers.Our team has opened a technical pathway for creating high refractive index contrast, and designing novel grating patterns, that combine to strongly enhance the radiative efficiency from a thin optical fibre. The technology opens a new direction for manufacturing spectrometers inside of an optical glass wire. The present proposal supports first level discovery and evaluation of the potential market for the new concept of all-fiber spectrometer, seeking advantages in the small footprint, low production cost, and integration with the optical fiber information highway.