Zeolite thin film-coated spherical end-face fiber sensors for detection of trace organic vapors

A novel zeolite thin film-coated spherical end face fiber sensor for detection of trace organic vapors was experimentally demonstrated. The spherical end-face was fabricated by electrical arc discharge on the end face of a standard single-mode fiber. The proposed sensor comprise of the fiber's spherical end-face covered with a layer of zeolite thin film. The zeolite film and spherical end face constituted an arc-shaped inline Fabry-Perot (F-P) cavity, which improves the interference performance. The trace chemical vapor concentration was measured by monitoring the shift of F-P interference wavelength which induced by the organic vapor molecular adsorption of the zeolite film. The proposed trace organic vapors sensor performed with the enhanced sensitivity 0.91 nm/ppm with the range from 0 to 70 ppm.