Experimental study of a tapered fiber temperature sensor with a liquid seal based on multimode interference

Studying high-sensitivity fiber-optic temperature sensors is vital in pursuing high-precision temperature measurement. We propose a liquid-sealed multimode interference fiber temperature sensor with a double-taper structure. The influence of structure and sealed-liquid material on the temperature sensitivity of the sensor is analyzed experimentally. The results show that the tapered structure can effectively improve the temperature sensitivity of the sensor, and the effect becomes more evident with the increased refractive index of the sealed liquid. As the refractive index of the sealed liquid increases, the temperature sensitivity of the sensor can be effectively improved. However, the sealed liquid with a high refractive index will increase the failure temperature of the sensor. Near the failure temperature, the sensor achieves an ultra-high-temperature sensitivity of -8.28nm/K. The results also prove that further increasing the refractive index of the sealed liquid no longer has a significant gain in temperature sensitivity. It is expected that the relevant research will contribute to the development of high-precision temperature-sensing systems.