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Feature Issue – Optical Sensors
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Feature Issue – Optical Sensors

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2020) | Viewed by 30287

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Vittorio M. N. Passaro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica e dell'Informazione (Department of Electrical and Information Engineering), Politecnico di Bari, Via Edoardo Orabona n. 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: optoelectronic technologies; photonic devices and sensors; nanophotonic integrated sensors; non linear integrated optics; microelectronic and nanoelectronic technologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Optical Sensors are the subject of a huge amount of studies and applications. Many well-established technologies, including both integrated optics and fiber optics approaches, have been developed in the last decades to fabricate and develop more and more efficient optical sensors for applications, ranging from industrial control to environment to biomedical to Internet of Things and so on.

In this invitation-only Special Issue, we would like to publish high-quality manuscripts, particularly review contributions that demonstrate the advancement of optical sensing technology and successfully present new and consolidated application areas. Areas of interest include evaluating new sensors, new sensing principles, new applications, and new technologies, as well as review papers on the state of the art of well-established technologies for sensing. Topics of interest include Group IV photonic sensors, optomechanical sensors, fiber optic sensors, and related topics.

Prof. Dr. Vittorio M.N. Passaro
Guest Editor

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

  • Integrated optical sensors
  • Gas sensors
  • Fiber optic sensors
  • Sensing measurements and parameters estimates
  • Technologies for optical sensing
  • Modeling of optical sensors

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review

22 pages, 5681 KiB  
Article
Toward an Estimation of the Optical Feedback Factor C on the Fly for Displacement Sensing
by Olivier D. Bernal, Usman Zabit, Francis Jayat and Thierry Bosch
Sensors 2021, 21(10), 3528; https://doi.org/10.3390/s21103528 - 19 May 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1872
Abstract
In this paper, a method based on the inherent event-based sampling capability of laser optical feedback interferometry (OFI) is proposed to assess the optical feedback factor C when the laser operates in the moderate and strong feedback regimes. Most of the phase unwrapping [...] Read more.
In this paper, a method based on the inherent event-based sampling capability of laser optical feedback interferometry (OFI) is proposed to assess the optical feedback factor C when the laser operates in the moderate and strong feedback regimes. Most of the phase unwrapping open-loop OFI algorithms rely on the estimation of C to retrieve the displacement with nanometric precision. Here, the proposed method operates in open-loop configuration and relies only on OFI’s fringe detection, thereby improving its robustness and ease of use. The proposed method is able to estimate C with a precision of <5%. The obtained performances are compared to three different approaches previously published and the impacts of phase noise and sampling frequency are reported. We also show that this method can assess C on the fly even when C is varying due to speckle. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, these are the first reported results of time-varying C estimation. In addition, through C estimation over time, it could pave the way not only to higher performance phase unwrapping algorithms but also to a better control of the optical feedback level via the use of an adaptive lens and thus to better displacement retrieval performances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Issue – Optical Sensors)
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10 pages, 1543 KiB  
Article
Graphene-Based and Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for Monitoring the Physio-Chemical Response of Thermophilic Bacterial Spores to Low Temperatures Exposure
by Carlo Camerlingo, Giuseppe Di Meo, Maria Lepore, Mikhail Lisitskiy, Annarita Poli, Marianna Portaccio, Ida Romano and Paola Di Donato
Sensors 2020, 20(15), 4150; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20154150 - 26 Jul 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2486
Abstract
Monitoring the spore life cycle is one of the main issues in several fields including environmental control, sustainable ecosystems, food security, and healthcare systems. In this framework, the study of the living organism resistance to extreme conditions like those mimicking space environments is [...] Read more.
Monitoring the spore life cycle is one of the main issues in several fields including environmental control, sustainable ecosystems, food security, and healthcare systems. In this framework, the study of the living organism resistance to extreme conditions like those mimicking space environments is particularly interesting. The assessment of the local change of the pH level can be extremely useful for this purpose. An optical physiometer method based on the Raman response of the graphene, which is able to locally sense pH of a fluid on a micrometric scale, has been recently proposed. Due to the presence of π -bonds at the surface, the electronic doping of graphene is determined by the external conditions and can be electrochemically controlled or altered by the contact with an acid or alkaline fluid. The doping level affects the vibrational energies of the graphene that can be monitored by conventional Raman spectroscopy. In addition, Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) can give direct information on the biochemical changes occurring in spore components. In this work, we propose the joint use of Graphene-Based Raman Spectroscopy (GbRS) and SERS for the monitoring of the response of spores to exposure to low temperatures down to 100 K. The spores of the thermophilic bacterium Parageobacillus thermantarcticus isolated from an active volcano of Antarctica (Mt. Melbourne) were investigated. These spores are particularly resistant to several stressing stimuli and able to adapt to extreme conditions like low temperatures, UV irradiation, and γ -rays exposure. The results obtained showed that the joint use of GbRS and SERS represents a valuable tool for monitoring the physio-chemical response of bacterial spores upon exposure to stressing stimuli. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Issue – Optical Sensors)
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13 pages, 14367 KiB  
Article
Dynamic Response of Elastomer-Based Liquid-Filled Variable Focus Lens
by Lihui Wang and Masatoshi Ishikawa
Sensors 2019, 19(21), 4624; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19214624 - 24 Oct 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3017
Abstract
Variable focus lenses are capable of dynamically varying their focal lengths. The focal length is varied by adjusting the curvature of the refractive surface and the media on both sides of the lens. The dynamic response is one of the most important criteria [...] Read more.
Variable focus lenses are capable of dynamically varying their focal lengths. The focal length is varied by adjusting the curvature of the refractive surface and the media on both sides of the lens. The dynamic response is one of the most important criteria to determine the performance of variable focus lens. In this work, we investigated critical factors that affect the dynamic response of liquid-filled variable focus lens with a large aperture size. Based on a theoretical analysis of a circular disk representative of a deformable surface, we found that the dynamic response is significantly influenced by the diameter, thickness, and stiffness of the disk because these factors determine its first natural frequency. We also studied the dynamic response of elastomer-based liquid-filled variable focus lens prototype with different aperture sizes (20 and 30 mm) by using experiments and we found that the lens with the smaller aperture size had an excellent dynamic response. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Issue – Optical Sensors)
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Review

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39 pages, 15331 KiB  
Review
Label-Free Optical Resonator-Based Biosensors
by Donggee Rho, Caitlyn Breaux and Seunghyun Kim
Sensors 2020, 20(20), 5901; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20205901 - 19 Oct 2020
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5416
Abstract
The demand for biosensor technology has grown drastically over the last few decades, mainly in disease diagnosis, drug development, and environmental health and safety. Optical resonator-based biosensors have been widely exploited to achieve highly sensitive, rapid, and label-free detection of biological analytes. The [...] Read more.
The demand for biosensor technology has grown drastically over the last few decades, mainly in disease diagnosis, drug development, and environmental health and safety. Optical resonator-based biosensors have been widely exploited to achieve highly sensitive, rapid, and label-free detection of biological analytes. The advancements in microfluidic and micro/nanofabrication technologies allow them to be miniaturized and simultaneously detect various analytes in a small sample volume. By virtue of these advantages and advancements, the optical resonator-based biosensor is considered a promising platform not only for general medical diagnostics but also for point-of-care applications. This review aims to provide an overview of recent progresses in label-free optical resonator-based biosensors published mostly over the last 5 years. We categorized them into Fabry-Perot interferometer-based and whispering gallery mode-based biosensors. The principles behind each biosensor are concisely introduced, and recent progresses in configurations, materials, test setup, and light confinement methods are described. Finally, the current challenges and future research topics of the optical resonator-based biosensor are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Issue – Optical Sensors)
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23 pages, 9580 KiB  
Review
Distributed Dynamic Strain Sensing Based on Brillouin Scattering in Optical Fibers
by Agnese Coscetta, Aldo Minardo and Luigi Zeni
Sensors 2020, 20(19), 5629; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20195629 - 01 Oct 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3504
Abstract
Over the past three decades, extensive research activity on Brillouin scattering-based distributed optical fiber sensors has led to the availability of commercial instruments capable of measuring the static temperature/strain distribution over kilometer distances and with high spatial resolution, with applications typically covering structural [...] Read more.
Over the past three decades, extensive research activity on Brillouin scattering-based distributed optical fiber sensors has led to the availability of commercial instruments capable of measuring the static temperature/strain distribution over kilometer distances and with high spatial resolution, with applications typically covering structural and environmental monitoring. At the same time, the interest in dynamic measurements has rapidly grown due to the relevant number of applications which could benefit from this technology, including structural analysis for defect identification, vibration detection, railway traffic monitoring, shock events detection, and so on. In this paper, we present an overview of the recent advances in Brillouin-based distributed optical fiber sensors for dynamic sensing. The aspects of the Brillouin scattering process relevant in distributed dynamic measurements are analyzed, and the different techniques are compared in terms of performance and hardware complexity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Issue – Optical Sensors)
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19 pages, 2599 KiB  
Review
Raman Microscopy: Progress in Research on Cancer Cell Sensing
by Satheeshkumar Elumalai, Stefano Managó and Anna Chiara De Luca
Sensors 2020, 20(19), 5525; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20195525 - 27 Sep 2020
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 6244
Abstract
In the last decade, Raman Spectroscopy (RS) was demonstrated to be a label-free, non-invasive and non-destructive optical spectroscopy allowing the improvement in diagnostic accuracy in cancer and analytical assessment for cell sensing. This review discusses how Raman spectra can lead to a deeper [...] Read more.
In the last decade, Raman Spectroscopy (RS) was demonstrated to be a label-free, non-invasive and non-destructive optical spectroscopy allowing the improvement in diagnostic accuracy in cancer and analytical assessment for cell sensing. This review discusses how Raman spectra can lead to a deeper molecular understanding of the biochemical changes in cancer cells in comparison to non-cancer cells, analyzing two key examples, leukemia and breast cancer. The reported Raman results provide information on cancer progression and allow the identification, classification, and follow-up after chemotherapy treatments of the cancer cells from the liquid biopsy. The key obstacles for RS applications in cancer cell diagnosis, including quality, objectivity, number of cells and velocity of the analysis, are considered. The use of multivariant analysis, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminate analysis (LDA), for an automatic and objective assessment without any specialized knowledge of spectroscopy is presented. Raman imaging for cancer cell mapping is shown and its advantages for routine clinical pathology practice and live cell imaging, compared to single-point spectral analysis, are debated. Additionally, the combination of RS with microfluidic devices and high-throughput screening for improving the velocity and the number of cells analyzed are also discussed. Finally, the combination of the Raman microscopy (RM) with other imaging modalities, for complete visualization and characterization of the cells, is described. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Issue – Optical Sensors)
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17 pages, 3187 KiB  
Review
Pressure Sensitive Adhesive Tape: A Versatile Material Platform for Optical Sensors
by Carlos Angulo Barrios
Sensors 2020, 20(18), 5303; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20185303 - 16 Sep 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 6799
Abstract
Pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes are a versatile, safe and easy-to-use solution for fastening, sealing, masking, or joining. They are widely employed in daily life, from domestic use to industrial applications in sectors such as construction and the automotive industry. In recent years, [...] Read more.
Pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes are a versatile, safe and easy-to-use solution for fastening, sealing, masking, or joining. They are widely employed in daily life, from domestic use to industrial applications in sectors such as construction and the automotive industry. In recent years, PSA tapes have found a place in the field of micro- and nanotechnology, particularly in contact transfer techniques where they can be used as either sacrificial layers or flexible substrates. As a consequence, various optical sensing configurations based on PSA tapes have been developed. In this paper, recent achievements related to the use of PSA tapes as functional and integral parts of optical sensors are reviewed. These include refractive index sensors, optomechanical sensors and vapor sensors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Issue – Optical Sensors)
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