Abstract
Focused ion beam technology is combined with dynamic chemical etching to create microcavities in tapered optical fiber tips, resulting in fiber probes for temperature and refractive index sensing. Dynamic chemical etching uses hydrofluoric acid and a syringe pump to etch standard optical fibers into cone structures called tapered fiber tips where the length, shape, and cone angle can be precisely controlled. On these tips, focused ion beam is used to mill several different types of Fabry-Perot microcavities. Two main cavity types are initially compared and then combined to form a third, complex cavity structure. In the first case, a gap is milled on the tapered fiber tip which allows the external medium to penetrate the light guiding region and thus presents sensitivity to external refractive index changes. In the second, two slots that function as mirrors are milled on the tip creating a silica cavity that is only sensitive to temperature changes. Finally, both cavities are combined on a single tapered fiber tip, resulting in a multi-cavity structure capable of discriminating between temperature and refractive index variations. This dual characterization is performed with the aid of a fast Fourier transform method to separate the contributions of each cavity and thus of temperature and refractive index. Ultimately, a tapered optical fiber tip probe with sub-standard dimensions containing a multi-cavity structure is projected, fabricated, characterized and applied as a sensing element for simultaneous temperature and refractive index discrimination.

Abstract
Temperature-independent strain measurement is achieved resorting to a taper fabricated on a Bragg fibre using a CO2 laser. The characteristic bimodal interference of an untapered Bragg fibre is rendered multimode after taper fabrication and the resulting transmission spectra are analysed as temperature and strain change. The intrinsic strain sensitivity exhibited by the Bragg fibre is increased 15 fold after tapering and reaches 22.68 pm/mu epsilon. The difference in wavelength shift promoted by variations in temperature and strain for the two fringes studied is examined and strain sensing with little temperature sensitivity is achieved, presenting a sensitivity of 2.86 pm/mu epsilon, for strain values up to 400 mu epsilon.

Abstract
Optical fiber sensors have evolved over the years in many different directions. One particular direction dictated by necessity is miniaturization and the creation of micro- and nano-optical fiber sensors. Many techniques now exist that allow the micro-structuring of optical fiber. One in particular is focused ion beam technology. This chapter aims to introduce this technique and present the latest work on the application of focused ion beam to optical fiber micromachining, more specifically, the fabrication of optical fiber microstructure sensors such as micro-gratings and micro-cavities.

Abstract
The effect of an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) placed inside the fiber ring of a cavity ring down (CRD) configuration is studied. The limitations and advantages of this configuration are discussed, and the study of the ring-down time as a function of the current applied and gain to the EDFA is also presented. In this case, the power fluctuations in the output signal are strongly dependent on the cavity ring-down time with the EDFA gain.

Abstract
A smart material using fibre Bragg gratings (FBGs) embedded into carbon fibre-reinforced polymer for simultaneous measurement of physical parameters was designed, tested, and validated. Two FBGs were embedded in different sections of the composite sample, one fully unidirectional and the other bidirectional, which produced different sensitivities for each FBG sensor. The composite structure was characterized for strain/temperature and curvature/temperature measurements. The experimental results were compared with and agreed with finite element simulations.

Abstract
Long period fiber gratings produced by the electric arc technique have found an increasing interest by the scientific community due to their ease to fabricate, virtually enabling the inscription in any kind of fiber, low cost, and flexibility. In 2005 we have presented the first review on this subject. Since then, important achievements have been reached such as the identification of the mechanisms responsible for gratings formation, the type of symmetry, the conditions to increase fabrication reproducibility, and their inscription in the turning points with grating periods below 200 mu m. Several interesting applications in the sensing area, including those sensors working in reflection, have been demonstrated and others are expected, namely, related to the monitoring of extreme temperatures, cryogenic and high temperatures, and high sensitivity refractometric sensors resulting from combining arc-induced gratings in the turning points and the deposition of thin films in the transition region. Therefore, due to its pertinence, in this paper we review the main achievements obtained concerning arc-induced long period fiber gratings, with special focus on the past ten years.