0000000000001197
AUTHOR
Adriana Morana
Coating impact and radiation effects on optical frequency domain Reflectometry fiber-based temperature sensors
International audience; Temperature response of radiation-tolerant OFDR-based sensors is here investigated, with particular attention on the impact of coating on OFS. By performing consecutive thermal treatments we developed a controlled system to evaluate the performances of our distributed temperature sensor and to estimate the radiation impact. We show an important evolution of the temperature coefficient measurements with thermal treatments for non-irradiated fiber and that the amplitude of this change decreases increasing radiation dose. As final results, we demonstrate that sensor performances are improved if we performed a pre-thermal treatment on the fiber-based system permitting to…
Origins of radiation-induced attenuation in pure-silica-core and Ge-doped optical fibers under pulsed x-ray irradiation
We investigated the nature, optical properties, and decay kinetics of point defects causing large transient attenuation increase observed in silica-based optical fibers exposed to short duration and high-dose rate x-ray pulses. The transient radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) spectra of pure-silica-core (PSC), Ge-doped, F-doped, and Ge + F-doped optical fibers (OFs) were acquired after the ionizing pulse in the spectral range of [∼0.8–∼3.2] eV (∼1500–∼380 nm), from a few ms to several minutes after the pulse, at both room temperature (RT) and liquid nitrogen temperature (LNT). Comparing the fiber behavior at both temperatures better highlights the thermally unstable point defects contribut…
Etude spectroscopique de fibres durcies pour un environnement radiatif sévère
Les nouveaux environnements radiatifs, comme LMJ, ITER, ILE/ELI, HiPER, réacteurs nucléaires des générations III+ et IV, nécessitent le développement de nouveaux composants pour le transport et le traitement des signaux. A cause de l’impossibilité d’utiliser les composants électroniques, la recherche est orientée vers les composants à fibres optiques comme vecteur d’information et aussi comme élément de diagnostic. Ils présentent de nombreux avantages, comme leur relative immunité électromagnétique, faible pois, large bande passante, mais les rayonnements gamma et les neutrons dégradent leur transmission. La dégradation dépend principalement de la composition de la fibre. Ainsi, il a été mo…
Steady-State X-Ray Radiation-Induced Attenuation in Canonical Optical Fibers
The so-called canonical optical fibers (OFs) are samples especially designed to highlight the impact of some manufacturing process parameters on the radiation responses. Thanks to the results obtained on these samples, it is thus possible to define new procedures to better control the behaviors of OFs in radiation environments. In this article, we characterized the responses, under steady-state X-rays, of canonical samples representative of the most common fiber types differing by their core-dopants: pure silica, Ge, Al, and P. Their radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) spectra were measured online at both room temperature (RT) and liquid nitrogen temperature (LNT), in the energy range [~0.6…
Origin of the visible absorption in radiation-resistant optical fibers
In this work we investigated the point defects at the origin of the degradation of radiation-tolerant optical fibers used in the visible part of the spectrum for plasma diagnostics in radiation environments. For this aim, the effects of γ -ray irradiation up to the dose of 10 MGy(SiO2) and post-irradiation thermal annealing at 550◦C were studied for a Fluorinedoped fiber. An absorption peaking around 2 eV is mainly responsible for the measured radiation-induced losses, its origin being currently debated in the literature. On the basis of the unchanging shape of this band with the radiation dose, its correlation with the 1.9 eV photoluminescent band and the thermal treatment results we assig…
Neutron-induced defects in optical fibers
We present a study on 0.8 MeV neutron-induced defects up to fluences of 1017 n/cm2 in fluorine doped optical fibers by using electron paramagnetic resonance, optical absorption and confocal micro-luminescence techniques. Our results allow to address the microscopic mechanisms leading to the generation of Silica-related point-defects such as E', H(I), POR and NBOH Centers.
Neutron-induced defects in F-doped fibers
We present a study on 0.8 MeV neutron-induced defects up to fluences of 1017 n/cm² in fluorine doped fibers by using electron paramagnetic resonance, optical absorption and confocal micro-luminescence techniques. Our results allow to address the microscopic mechanisms leading to the generation of some Silica-related point-defects such as E’, H(I), POR and NBOH Centers.
Influence of neutron and gamma-ray irradiations on rad-hard optical fiber
We investigated point defects induced in rad-hard Fluorine-doped optical fibers using both a mixed source of neutrons (fluences from 1015 to 1017 n/cm2) and γ-rays (doses from 0.02 to 2 MGy) and by a γ-ray source (dose up to 10 MGy). By combining several complementary spectroscopic techniques such as radiation-induced attenuation, confocal micro-luminescence, time-resolved photo-luminescence and electron paramagnetic resonance, we evidenced intrinsic and hydrogen-related defects. The comparison between the two irradiation sources highlights close similarities among the spectroscopic properties of the induced defects and the linear correlation of their concentration up to 1016 n/cm2. These r…
Performance Analysis of a Prototype High‐Concentration Photovoltaic System Coupled to Silica Optical Fibers
High-concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) systems are one of the most promising technologies for the generation of renewable energy with high-conversion efficiency. Their development is still at an early stage, but the possibility of integrating high-concentration systems into buildings offers new opportunities to achieve the net-zero-energy building goal. Herein, the optical and energetic performance of a hybrid daylighting−HCPV prototype based on pure- or doped-silica optical fibers (OFs) to guide 2000× concentrated sunlight inside the buildings is evaluated. There, the light can either be used to illuminate interior spaces or projected on solar cells to generate electricity. The system equi…
Spectral properties and lifetime of green emission in γ-ray irradiated bismuth-doped silica photonic crystal fibers
Abstract We report an experimental investigation focused on the green emission detected in γ-ray irradiated Bismuth-doped photonic crystal fibers. Our photoluminescence spectra, recorded at room temperature, provide evidence for the presence of two emission bands both located at ~ 530 nm (2.34 eV). One emission is detected only in the Bi-doped core while the other, is detected in the cladding. These two emissions feature different excitation spectra and a fast and a slow decay lifetime. The origin of the fast emission decay, about ten nanoseconds, is tentatively attributed to a silica intrinsic defect, whereas the slow component, having lifetime of about 2 μs and featuring anti-stokes emiss…
Investigation of Coating Impact on OFDR Optical Remote Fiber-Based Sensors Performances for Their Integration in High Temperature and Radiation Environments
The response of optical frequency-domain reflectometry-based temperature sensors is here investigated in harsh environments (high temperature, high radiation dose) focusing the attention on the impact of the fiber coating on the sensor performances in such conditions. Our results demonstrate that the various coating types evolve differently under thermal treatment and/or radiations, resulting in a small (<5%) change in the temperature coefficient of the sensor. The identified procedure, consisting of a prethermal treatment of the fiber at its maximum coating operating temperature, is here verified up to 150 °C for higherature acrylate and up to 300 °C for polyamide coating. This method allo…
Influence of fluorine on the fiber resistance studied through the nonbridging oxygen hole center related luminescence
The distribution of Non-Bridging Oxygen Hole Centers (NBOHCs) in fluorine doped optical fibers was investigated by confocal microluminescence spectroscopy, monitoring their characteristic 1.9 eV luminescence band. The results show that these defects are generated by the fiber drawing and their concentration further increases after c irradiation. The NBOHC concentration profile along the fiber provides evidence for an exponential decay with the fluorine content. This finding agrees with the role of fluorine in the fiber resistance and is discussed, from the microscopic point of view, by looking at the conversion mechanisms from strained bonds acting as precursors.
Combined High Dose and Temperature Radiation Effects on Multimode Silica-Based Optical Fibers
International audience; We investigate the response of Ge-doped, P-doped, pure-silica, or Fluorine-doped fibers to extreme environments combining doses up to MGy(SiO $_{{{2}}}$) level of 10 keV X-rays and temperatures between 25 C and 300 C . First, we evaluate their potential to serve either as parts of radiation tolerant optical or optoelectronic systems or at the opposite, for the most sensitive ones, as punctual or distributed dosimeters. Second, we improve our knowledge on combined ionizing radiations and temperature (R&T) effects on radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) by measuring the RIA spectra in the ultraviolet and visible domains varying the R&T conditions. Our results reveal the…
Radioluminescence Response of Ce-, Cu-, and Gd-Doped Silica Glasses for Dosimetry of Pulsed Electron Beams
Radiation-induced emission of doped sol-gel silica glass samples was investigated under a pulsed 20-MeV electron beam. The studied samples were drawn rods doped with cerium, copper, or gadolinium ions, which were connected to multimode pure-silica core fibers to transport the induced luminescence from the irradiation area to a signal readout system. The luminescence pulses in the samples induced by the electron bunches were studied as a function of deposited dose per electron bunch. All the investigated samples were found to have a linear response in terms of luminescence as a function of electron bunch sizes between 10−5 Gy/bunch and 1.5×10−2 Gy/bunch. The presented results show that these…
Properties of Gd-Doped Sol-Gel Silica Glass Radioluminescence under Electron Beams
International audience; The radiation-induced emission (RIE) of Gd3+-doped sol–gel silica glass has been shown to have suitable properties for use in the dosimetry of beams of ionizing radiation in applications such as radiotherapy. Linear electron accelerators are commonly used as clinical radiotherapy beams, and in this paper, the RIE properties were investigated under electron irradiation. A monochromator setup was used to investigate the light properties in selected narrow wavelength regions, and a spectrometer setup was used to measure the optical emission spectra in various test configurations. The RIE output as a function of depth in acrylic was measured and compared with a reference…
Gd 3+ -doped sol-gel silica glass for remote ionizing radiation dosimetry
Gadolinium-doped silica glass was prepared, using the sol-gel route, for ionizing radiation dosimetry applications. Such a glassy rod was drawn to a cane at a temperature of 2000 °C. The structural and optical properties of the obtained material were studied using Raman, optical absorption, and photoluminescence spectroscopies. Thereafter, a small piece of this Gd-doped scintillating cane was spliced to a transport passive optical fiber, allowing the remote monitoring of the X-ray dose rate through a radioluminescence (RL) signal. The sample exhibited a linear RL intensity response versus the dose rate from 125 µGy(SiO2)/s up to 12.25 Gy/s. These results confirm the potentialities of this m…
Bright Visible Luminescence in Silica Nanoparticles
International audience; We demonstrate that a porous film of silica nanoparticles emits a bright visible luminescence associated with defects stabilized by oxygen chemisorption at oxygen deficient center sites. Time-resolved spectra excited by a tunable laser allow us to distinguish the luminescence at 1.99 eV, characteristic of the nonbridging oxygen hole center (NBOHC) (Si-O)3 Si-O*, and a fast and a slow emission: the first (lifetime τ ≈ 25 ns) is peaked at 2.27 eV with an excitation spectrum centered at 5.5 eV; the second (τ ≈ 7.5 μs) is peaked at 2.41 eV and is excited around 3.2 and 5.2 eV. Reaction in an air atmosphere leads to the disappearance of the NBOHC luminescence and of the …
Overview of radiation induced point defects in silica-based optical fibers
International audience; Silica-based optical fibers, fiber-based devices and optical fiber sensors are today integrated in a variety of harsh environments associated with radiation constraints. Under irradiation, the macroscopic properties of the optical fibers are modified through three main basic mechanisms: the radiation induced attenuation, the radiation induced emission and the radiation induced refractive index change. Depending on the fiber profile of use, these phenomena differently contribute to the degradation of the fiber performances and then have to be either mitigated for radiation tolerant systems or exploited to design radiation detectors and dosimeters. Considering the stro…
Ultraviolet-visible light-induced solarisation in silica-based optical fibres for indoor solar applications
Abstract The transmission performances of pure- and doped-silica (a-SiO2) optical fibres are compared during the exposure to a high-power broadband light source approximating the solar spectrum. From the Gaussian decomposition of the attenuation spectra, we found that Al- and P-doped fibres show a fast solarisation effect which leads to transmission degradation in the ultraviolet-visible range. Similarly, Ge-doped fibres undergo photoinduced colour-centre formation which, however, does not prevent visible-light propagation. One of the two tested pure-silica fibres results completely unaffected by light exposure whereas the other shows an absorption band probably due to the presence of chlor…
Evaluation of Distributed OFDR-Based Sensing Performance in Mixed Neutron/Gamma Radiation Environments
We report the study of a radiation resistant single mode optical fiber doped with fluorine exposed to mixed neutron and $\gamma $ -radiation up to $10^{17}$ n/cm2 fluence and >2 MGy dose to evaluate its performances when used as the sensing element of a distributed Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR). The use of complementary spectroscopic techniques highlights some differences between the responses of solely $\gamma $ -radiation (10 MGy) or mixed neutron and $\gamma $ ( $10^{17}$ n/cm $^{2}+>2$ MGy) irradiated samples. Those differences are linked to the defect generation rather than to structural changes of the ${a}$ -SiO2 host matrix. We show that a modification of the refracti…
Near-IR- and UV-femtosecond laser waveguide inscription in silica glasses
The influence of laser parameters on silica based waveguide inscription is investigated by using femtosecond laser pulses at 1030 nm (near-IR) and at 343 nm (UV). Negative phase contrast microscopy technique is used to measure the refractive index contrast for different photo-inscribed waveguides and shows the effects of both laser wavelength and scanning speed. In particular, UV photons have a higher efficiency in the waveguide production process as also confirmed by the lower optical losses at 1550 nm in these waveguides. These measurements are combined with micro-Raman and photoluminescence techniques, highlighting that laser exposure induces both structural modification of the silica an…
Radiation tolerant fiber Bragg gratings for high temperature monitoring at MGy dose levels
International audience; We report a method for fabricating fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) resistant to very severe environments mixing high radiation doses (up to 3 MGy) and high temperatures (up to 230 degrees C). Such FBGs have been written in two types of radiation resistant optical fibers (pure-silica and fluorine-doped cores) by exposures to a 800 nm femtosecond IR laser at power exceeding 500 mW and then subjected to a thermal annealing treatment of 15 min at 750 degrees C. Under radiation, our study reveals that the radiation induced Bragg wavelength shift (BWS) at a 3 MGy dose is strongly reduced compared to responses of FBGs written with nonoptimized conditions. The BWS remains lower t…
Radiation Vulnerability of Fiber Bragg Gratings in Harsh Environments
International audience; The difficulties encountered in the implementation of a temperature or strain sensor based on fiber Bragg grating (FBG) in a harsh radiative environment are introduced. We present the choices made to select both a radiation-resistant fiber in terms of transmission and also the grating inscription conditions necessary to write radiation tolerant FBGs in such fibers with a femtosecond laser. The radiation response of these gratings was also studied under radiation at dose up to 1 MGy. The comparison between Ge-free and Ge-doped fibers was highlighted.
Transient and Steady-State Radiation Response of Phosphosilicate Optical Fibers: Influence of H2 Loading
The radiation response of a phosphorus-doped multimode optical fiber is investigated under both transient (pulsed X-rays) and steady-state ( $\gamma $ - and X-rays) irradiations. The influence of a H2 preloading on the fiber radiation-induced attenuation (RIA) in the 300–2000-nm wavelength range has been characterized. To better understand the impact of this treatment, online behaviors of fiber samples containing different amounts of gas are compared from glass saturation (100%) to less than 1%. In addition to these in situ experiments, additional postirradiation spectroscopic techniques have been performed such as electron paramagnetic resonance or luminescence measurements to identify the…
Radiation hardening of FBG in harsh environments
International audience; The difficulties encountered in the implementation of a temperature or strain sensor based on Fiber Bragg Grating in a harsh radiative environment are introduced. We present the choices made to select both a radiation-resistant fiber in terms of transmission and also the grating inscription conditions necessary to write radiation tolerant FBGs in such fibers with a femto-second laser. The response of different classes of gratings was also studied under radiation at high doses (>1MGy). The comparison between F- and Ge-doped fibers was highlighted.