Harsh environments minimally invasive optical sensing technique for extreme temperatures: 1000 °C and approaching 2500 °C

To the best of our knowledge, for the first time is designed and demonstrated a single crystal Silicon Carbide (SiC)-based minimally invasive smart optical sensor suited for harsh environments and temperatures reaching 2500 °C. The novel sensor design is based on an agile wavelength source, instantaneous single wavelength interferometry, full optical power cycle data acquisition, free-space targeted laser beam, multiple single crystal thick SiC optical frontend chips, and multi-wavelength signal processing for unambiguous temperature measurements to form a fast and distributed smart optical sensor system. Experiments conducted using a 1550 nm eye safe band tunable laser and a 300 micron coating-free thick SiC chip demonstrate temperature sensing from room temperature to 1000 °C with a measured 1.3 °C resolution. Applications for the proposed sensor include use in fossil fuel-based power systems, aerospace/aircraft systems, satellite systems, deep space exploration systems, and drilling and oil mining industries.