This chapter presents the fabrication of the special microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) and the development of sensing applications based on the fabricated fibers. Particularly, several types of MOFs including birefringent and photosensitive fibers will be introduced. To fabricate the special MOFs, the stack-and-draw technique is employed to introduce asymmetrical stress distribution in the fibers. The microstructure of MOFs includes conventional hexagonal assembles, large-air hole structures, as well as suspended microfibers. The birefringence of MOFs can reach up to 10−2 by designing the air hole structure properly. Fiber Bragg gratings as well as Sagnac interferometers are developed based on the fabricated special MOFs to conduct sensing measurement. Various sensing applications based on MOFs are introduced.
Part of the book: Selected Topics on Optical Fiber Technologies and Applications