Proposed design for high precision refractive index sensor using integrated planar lightwave circuit

A high precision and compact refractive index sensor is proposed. The combination of coarse measurement utilizing the change of the angle of refraction and fine measurement utilizing the phase change is newly proposed to measure absolute refractive index precisely. The proposed method does not need expensive optical measurement equipment such as an optical spectrum analyzer. The integrated planar lightwave circuit (PLC) technology enables us to obtain a compact sensor that is preferable for the practical use. The principle, design, and some configurations for precise refractive index measurement are described.