Miniaturized Fiber-Optic Michelson-Type Interferometric Sensors

We present a novel, miniaturized Michelson-type fiber-optic interferometric sensor that is relatively insensitive to temperature drifts. A fused-biconical tapered coupler is cleaved immediately after the coupled length and polished down to the region of the fused cladding, but short of the interaction region. The end of one core is selectively coated with a reflective surface and is used as the reference arm; the other core serves as the sensing arm. We report the detection of surface acoustic waves, microdisplacements, and magnetic fields. The sensor is shown to be highly stable in comparison to a classic homodyne, uncompensated Michelson interferometer, and signal-to-noise ratios of 65 dB have been obtained.