ABSTRACT
Of the various emerging techniques, chemical (or biochemical) sensing with optical fibers is the most interesting. A fiber optic chemical sensor (FOCS) is a device with preselected chemical and/or physical properties attached to the distal end. The unique position of FOCS stems from the following advantages: (i) analytical operation can be performed remotely; (ii) no reference signal is required; (iii) it is immune to electromagnetic interferences (EMI); (iv) the sensing is done in situ and in real time; (v) inexpensive, high quality fiber optics are readily available; and (vi) the sensor can be deployed in hostile environments. In essence, FOCS is an integrated system consisting of the components as shown in the block diagram.
