The objective is to develop a Photonic Integrated Circuit PIC architecture capable of measuring at high frequencies (>200 kHz- 1 MHz) solid waves in different structures with embedded FBG sensors. This application requires great accuracy, i.e. less than 1pm. Current equipment for FBG interrogation based on PICs use amplitude filters, which fail to provide sufficient accuracy. For this reason, different architectures capable of achieving the requisite accuracy will be studied, such as hybrid silicon photonics with nonlinear crystals or through use of a spectrometer developed with an Arrayed Waveguide Grating. Both solutions are planned to have at least 12 output channels with a 4-nm spacing in order to cover a spectral range broader than 46 nm (i.e. more than 6 FBG sensors per fibre), using InGaAs PIN high-speed photodiodes. The interrogator unit architecture will include data processing capability in order to implement different data processing or preprocessing techniques and a 5G data transfer board. The system (interrogator unit and sensor network) will be designed for embedding in composite materials during the manufacturing phase or before integration. Other features, such as energy harvesting, will be designed for each application under study. The system will be qualified according to aircraft standards and validated in laboratory samples representative of composite aircraft structures, civil structures, wind turbine blades,etc.    

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Research field: Engineering

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