A novel fiber-optic temperature sensor based on high temperature-dependent optical properties of ZnO film on sapphire fiber-ending

We report the growth of high-quality thin films of ZnO via an electron-beam evaporation technique. Studies of the transmittance spectra have revealed a sharp optical absorption edge and a significant redshift. After annealing at 673 K, the ZnO films again demonstrated a sharp absorption edge in a manner similar to the as-deposited samples. This illustrates the excellent thermal stability of the thin films and, as such, demonstrates their potential as fiber-optic temperature sensors. Utilizing the influence of optical absorption spectra at different temperatures, a novel fiber-optic temperature sensor based on this material has been designed and tested. This technique could offer a simple, robust and cost-effective method to be used in high temperature sensing applications. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.