In this paper, a microfuidic Mach-Zehnder (M-Z) filter is proposed. It has the advantages of small size, simple structure, convenient manufacture and flexible adjustment. In the proposed filter, one arm of the M-Z Interferometer is the sensing arm and the other arm is the reference arm. The sensing arm has adjustable refractive index because the microchannel is filled with liquid which could be replaced. The reference arm is not contacted with the outside. The comb filter spectrum of the M-Z filter can be adjusted by changing the refractive index of liquid in the microchannel. This paper presents the structure, working principle and related theories of the microfluidic M-Z filter. The proposed M-Z filter can promote the application of microfluidics in the optical communication.
As one of the core devices in all-optical networks, optical switches can convert optical signal physically and logically. Here a 2×2 microfluidic optical switch is proposed. It switches the optical path by ionic liquid and air in a microchannel, and uses the magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) microfluidic drive technology. The proposed optical switch possesses the merits of simple structure, easy operation and low actuation voltage. There are no movable mechanical parts in this optical switch, so its volume is small. The structure, working principle and related theory of the proposed optical switch are described in this paper. The conducted research can promote the application of microfluidics in the optical communication.
A temperature sensor with micro ring-assisted Mach-Zehnder filter is presented. It has a micron size. A micro-ring cavity is coupled in one of the arms of the Mach-Zehnder interferometer, in which some temperature-sensitive liquid is injected into the cavity by using the microfluidic technique. The temperature change can be detected by analyzing the output spectrum of the sensor. In order to achieve the good filtering performances, the arm-length difference of common MachZehnder filters is usually the order of millimeter. While the M-Z arm-length difference of the temperature sensor presented in this paper is only about 10um. The sensor has good filtering performances. Its extinction ratio is 10dB and the 3dB bandwidth is less than 1nm. In addition, the resolution of the temperature detection is 0.1°C. Moreover, the temperature detection range of the proposed sensor can be adjusted by changing the refractive index of liquid in the micro ring cavity.
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