Design and optimization of liquid core optical ring resonator for refractive index sensing

Nai Lin; Lan Jiang; Sumei Wang; Hai Xiao; Yongfeng Lu; Hai-Lung Tsai

doi:10.1364/AO.50.003615

Design and optimization of liquid core optical ring resonator for refractive index sensing

Appl Opt. 2011 Jul 10;50(20):3615-21. doi: 10.1364/AO.50.003615.

Authors

Nai Lin¹, Lan Jiang, Sumei Wang, Hai Xiao, Yongfeng Lu, Hai-Lung Tsai

Affiliation

¹ Laser Micro/Nano Fabrication Laboratory, School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, 100081, Beijing, China.

PMID: 21743574
DOI: 10.1364/AO.50.003615

Abstract

This study performs a detailed theoretical analysis of refractive index (RI) sensors based on whispering gallery modes (WGMs) in liquid core optical ring resonators (LCORRs). Both TE- and TM-polarized WGMs of various orders are considered. The analysis shows that WGMs of higher orders need thicker walls to achieve a near-zero thermal drift, but WGMs of different orders exhibit a similar RI sensing performance at the thermostable wall thicknesses. The RI detection limit is very low at the thermostable thickness. The theoretical predications should provide a general guidance in the development of LCORR-based thermostable RI sensors.