Ultra-High Temperature Sensors Based on Optical Property Modulation and Vibration-Tolerant Interferometry

The goals of the this part of the Continuation Phase 2 period (Oct. 1, 06 to March 31, 07) of this project were to (a) fabricate laser-doped SiC wafers and start testing the SiC chips for individual gas species sensing under high temperature and pressure conditions and (b) demonstrate the designs and workings of a temperature probe suited for industrial power generation turbine environment. A focus of the reported work done via Kar UCF LAMP lab. is to fabricate the embedded optical phase or doped microstructures based SiC chips, namely, Chromium (C), Boron (B) and Aluminum (Al) doped 4H-SiC, and to eventually deploy such laser-doped chips to enable gas species sensing under high temperature and pressure. Experimental data is provided from SiC chip optical response for various gas species such as pure N2 and mixtures of N2 and H{sub 2}, N{sub 2} and CO, N{sub 2} and CO{sub 2}, and N{sub 2} and CH{sub 4}. Another main focus of the reported work was a temperature sensor probe assembly design and initial testing. The probe transmit-receive fiber optics were designed and tested for electrically controlled alignment. This probe design was provided to overcome mechanical vibrations in typical industrial scenarios. All these goals have been achieved and are described in detail in the report