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Advances in Sensing Technology: From Photon, Electron to Signal Processing
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Advances in Sensing Technology: From Photon, Electron to Signal Processing

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Optical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 3070

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yuxi Ruan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Electrical, Computer and Telecommunications Engineering, University of Wollongong, Northfield Ave., Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Interests: photonics; optoelectronics and optical communications; engineering instrumentation; photonic and electro-optical devices; sensors and systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Bin Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Physics and Optoelectronics, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China
Interests: laser interferometry; optical sensing; optical fiber sensor; laser dynamics; optoelectronic signal processing; machine learning for optical sensing and measurement; embedded systems for measurement and instrumentation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yuanlong Fan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Hangzhou Institute of Technology, Xidian University, Hangzhou, 311231, China
Interests: nonlinear dynamics of semiconductor lasers; nanolasers; optical sensing and measurement
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a Special Issue exploring cutting-edge developments at the intersection of photonics, electronics, and signal processing. This collection aims to showcase innovative research and technological advancements that are expanding the frontiers of sensing capabilities across diverse domains. From fundamental photon detection to sophisticated signal analysis, the articles will encompass a wide spectrum of sensing technologies and their applications.

In our increasingly connected and data-driven world, the demand for more precise, efficient, and versatile sensing systems continues to grow exponentially. This Special Issue brings together contributions from leading researchers and industry experts, offering insights into the latest breakthroughs in sensor design, fabrication, and integration. By examining the journey from photon capture to meaningful signal output, we aim to inspire further innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration in this rapidly evolving field.

The scope of this Special Issue spans a broad horizon, including, but not limited to, the following: 

  • Advanced photodetectors;
  • Photonic sensors;
  • Nanostructured optical materials;
  • AI in sensor data analysis;
  • Quantum sensing applications;
  • Microwave photonics;
  • Distributed fiber optic sensing;
  • Plasmonic nanosensors;
  • Terahertz sensing technologies;
  • Multimodal sensing systems;
  • Signal processing for photonics;
  • Biomedical photonic sensing;
  • LiDAR and 3D sensing;
  • Near-field communications and sensing;
  • 6G communication and sensing;
  • MIMO systems for joint sensing;
  • Cognitive radio sensing networks;
  • Ultra-wideband sensing applications;
  • IoT sensor data fusion techniques;
  • Edge computing for sensor networks;
  • Sensing in wireless systems;
  • Millimeter-wave sensing and imaging;
  • Spectrum sensing techniques. 

We cordially invite researchers, engineers, and practitioners to contribute original research articles, review papers, and case studies that address these topics and related areas at the intersection of photonics, wireless communication, and signal processing in sensing technologies.

Dr. Yuxi Ruan
Dr. Bin Liu
Dr. Yuanlong Fan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sensor technology
  • smart sensors
  • sensing applications
  • wireless sensing
  • optical sensing
  • signal processing
  • microwave photonics
  • AI in sensing
  • quantum sensing
  • terahertz sensing

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  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 5757 KiB  
Article
Neural Network-Assisted DPD of Wideband PA Nonlinearity for Sub-Nyquist Sampling Systems
by Mengqiu Liu, Xining Yang, Jian Gao, Sen Cao, Guisheng Liao, Gaopan Hou and Dawei Gao
Sensors 2025, 25(4), 1106; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25041106 - 12 Feb 2025
Viewed by 601
Abstract
The design of conventional digital predistortion (DPD) requires an analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) with a sampling frequency that is multiple times the signal bandwidth, which is extremely challenging for sub-Nyquist sampling systems with undersampled signals. To address this, this paper proposes a neural network [...] Read more.
The design of conventional digital predistortion (DPD) requires an analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) with a sampling frequency that is multiple times the signal bandwidth, which is extremely challenging for sub-Nyquist sampling systems with undersampled signals. To address this, this paper proposes a neural network (NN)-assisted wideband power amplifier (PA) DPD method for sub-Nyquist sampling systems, wherein a dual-stage architecture is designed to handle the ambiguity caused by subsampled communications signals. In the first stage, the time-delayed polynomial reconstruction method is employed to estimate the wideband DPD nonlinearity coarsely with the undersampled signals with limited pilots. In the second stage, an NN-based DPD method is proposed for the virtual training of the DPD, which learns the up-sampled DPD behavior by taking advantage of the pre-estimated DPD model and the input data signals, which reduces the length of the training sequence significantly and refines the DPD behavior efficiently. Simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method in tackling the wideband PA nonlinearity and its ability to outperform the conventional method in terms of power spectrum, error vector magnitude, and bit error rate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sensing Technology: From Photon, Electron to Signal Processing)
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15 pages, 5122 KiB  
Article
A Sub-Pixel Measurement Platform Using Twist-Angle Analysis in Two-Dimensional Planes
by Jiangbo Lyu, Wenchao Kong, Yan Zhou, Yazhi Pi and Zizheng Cao
Sensors 2025, 25(4), 1081; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25041081 - 11 Feb 2025
Viewed by 475
Abstract
Arrayed ultraviolet (UV) LED light sources have been widely applied in various semiconductor processes, ranging from photopolymerization to lithography. In practical cases, based on data provided by manufacturers, calibration of individual UV LEDs is often needed before their real usage in high-precision applications. [...] Read more.
Arrayed ultraviolet (UV) LED light sources have been widely applied in various semiconductor processes, ranging from photopolymerization to lithography. In practical cases, based on data provided by manufacturers, calibration of individual UV LEDs is often needed before their real usage in high-precision applications. In this paper, we present a high-precision, automated light source measurement platform, which can be applied to the performance evaluation of various types of light sources. In order to minimize errors introduced by the automated measurement system, the platform employs a sub-pixel measurement technique, along with a twist-angle method, to perform multiple measurements and analyses of the spatial intensity distribution of the light source on a given plane. Through noise analysis of repeated measurements, the platform’s effectiveness and reliability are validated within a certain tolerance range. The high-precision automated light source measurement platform demonstrates excellent performance in the precise control and data acquisition of complex light sources. The light source dataset derived from the test results can provide guidance for the optimization of light sources in fields such as lighting, imaging, and lithography. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sensing Technology: From Photon, Electron to Signal Processing)
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8 pages, 2089 KiB  
Communication
Low-Noise Millimeter-Wave Down-Conversion Technology for Chip-Scaled Optical Clocks
by Shuai Li, Lulu Yan, Enrang Zheng, Zhijing Du, Jun Ruan and Shougang Zhang
Sensors 2025, 25(4), 1041; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25041041 - 10 Feb 2025
Viewed by 608
Abstract
This article reports on a millimeter-wave (MM-wave) signal down-conversion system with low phase noise for chip-scaled optical clocks. The system utilizes analog regenerative frequency division, low-noise fractional frequency division, and phase-locked frequency division techniques to down-convert a 100 GHz MM-wave signal to 100 [...] Read more.
This article reports on a millimeter-wave (MM-wave) signal down-conversion system with low phase noise for chip-scaled optical clocks. The system utilizes analog regenerative frequency division, low-noise fractional frequency division, and phase-locked frequency division techniques to down-convert a 100 GHz MM-wave signal to 100 MHz with phase noise of −117 dBc/Hz @100 Hz, −133 dBc/Hz @1 kHz, and 10 MHz with phase noise of −124 dBc/Hz @100 Hz and −143 dBc/Hz @1 kHz. The frequency stability of the signal down-converted to 100 MHz is 5.0 × 10−15 @ 1 s and 1.8 × 10−16 @ 1000 s, while the frequency stability of the 10 MHz signal is 5.7 × 10−14 @ 1 s and 5.9 × 10−16 @1000 s, both of which decrease to the 10−16 level at 10,000 s. This down-conversion system meets the frequency conversion requirements of state-of-the-art chip-based optical clocks and micro-cavity optical combs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sensing Technology: From Photon, Electron to Signal Processing)
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11 pages, 2649 KiB  
Communication
Applications of Isosceles Triangular Coupling Structure in Optical Switching and Sensing
by Lili Zeng, Xingjiao Zhang, Qinghua Guo, Yang Fan, Yuanwen Deng, Zhengchao Ma and Boxun Li
Sensors 2024, 24(24), 8221; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24248221 - 23 Dec 2024
Viewed by 655
Abstract
In the case of waveguide-based devices, once they are fabricated, their optical properties are already determined and cannot be dynamically controlled, which limits their applications in practice. In this paper, an isosceles triangular-coupling structure which consists of an isosceles triangle coupled with a [...] Read more.
In the case of waveguide-based devices, once they are fabricated, their optical properties are already determined and cannot be dynamically controlled, which limits their applications in practice. In this paper, an isosceles triangular-coupling structure which consists of an isosceles triangle coupled with a two-bus waveguide is proposed and researched numerically and theoretically. The coupled mode theory (CMT) is introduced to verify the correctness of the simulation results, which are based on the finite difference time domain (FDTD). Due to the existence of the side mode and angular mode, the transmission spectrum presents two high transmittance peaks and two low transmittance peaks. In addition, the four transmission peaks exhibit different variation trends when the dimensions of the isosceles triangle are changed. The liquid crystal (LC) materials comprise anisotropic uniaxial crystal and exhibit a remarkable birefringence effect under the action of the external field. When the isosceles triangle coupling structure is filled with LC, the refractive index of the liquid crystal can be changed by changing the applied voltage, thereby achieving the function of an optical switch. Within a certain range, a linear relationship between refractive index and applied voltage can be obtained. Moreover, the proposed structure can be applied to biochemical sensing to detect glucose concentrations, and the sensitivity reaches as high as 0.283 nm·L/g, which is significantly higher than other values reported in the literature. The triangular coupling structure has advantages such as simple structure and ease of manufacturing, making it an ideal choice for the design of high-performance integrated plasmonic devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Sensing Technology: From Photon, Electron to Signal Processing)
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