Photonic Crystal Fiber Interferometer for Dew Detection

A novel method for dew detection based on photonic crystal fiber (PCF) interferometer that operates in reflection mode is presented in this paper. The fabrication of the sensor head is simple since it only involves cleaving and fusion splicing. The sensor shows good sensitivity to dew formation with a large wavelength peak shift of the interference pattern at the onset of dew formation. The device's response to ambient humidity and temperature are also studied and reported in this paper. From our experiment it is also concluded that by attaching a thermoelectric cooler with temperature feedback, the sensor head demonstrated can be used as a miniature dew point hygrometer.