Demonstration of an optically actuated ferrule-top device for pressure and humidity sensing

Abstract Ferrule-top micro mechanical sensors are an alternative platform for point measurements in critical environments, where standard micro-electro-mechanical systems are prone to failure. To fully benefit from the all-optical character of this design, it is important to demonstrate that the mechanical pieces fabricated on top of the ferruled fiber can be actuated with light. In this paper we propose a convenient, all-optical actuation scheme that can be applied without any additional modification of the sensor design. The scheme relies on the photo thermal effect, which is proven to be sufficient both for inducing significant static bending and for exciting the sensor to resonance. We also demonstrate that this mechanism can be successfully used to implement ferrule-top resonant sensors for humidity and pressure measurements.

[1]  E. Cibula,et al.  Miniature all-glass robust pressure sensor. , 2009, Optics express.

[2]  Andres Nogueiras,et al.  A Multi-Point Sensor Based on Optical Fiber for the Measurement of Electrolyte Density in Lead-Acid Batteries , 2010, Sensors.

[3]  Davide Iannuzzi,et al.  Optical fiber ferrule-top sensor for humidity measurements , 2011, International Conference on Optical Fibre Sensors.

[4]  Lalitkumar Bansal,et al.  Fiber Optic Sensors for Detection of Toxic and Biological Threats , 2007, Sensors.

[5]  Stephen J. Mihailov,et al.  Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors for Harsh Environments , 2012, Sensors.

[6]  A. Minardo,et al.  Development of fiber optic ferrule-top cantilevers for sensing and beam-steering applications , 2012, Photonics Europe.

[7]  M. Tur,et al.  Advanced Fiber Optics: Concepts and Technology , 2011 .

[8]  Katerina Krebber,et al.  Optical fibre sensors embedded into technical textile for healthcare (ofseth) , 2007 .

[9]  T. L. Yeo,et al.  Fibre-optic sensor technologies for humidity and moisture measurement , 2008 .

[10]  R. Dils.  High‐temperature optical fiber thermometer , 1983 .

[11]  F. Arregui,et al.  An experimental study about hydrogels for the fabrication of optical fiber humidity sensors , 2003 .

[12]  W. Drexler,et al.  Dispersion encoded full range frequency domain optical coherence tomography. , 2009, Optics express.

[13]  Philippe Martin,et al.  Applications of fiber optic sensors to cryogenic spacecraft engines , 1997, Photonics West.

[14]  G. Kovacs.  Micromachined Transducers Sourcebook , 1998 .

[15]  D. Rugar,et al.  Improved fiber‐optic interferometer for atomic force microscopy , 1989 .

[16]  S. Barhen.  Analytic and numerical modeling of the transient dynamics of a microcantilever sensor , 2008 .

[17]  Jan Mehner,et al.  Characterization of fiber Bragg grating-based sensor array for high resolution manometry , 2012, Photonics Europe.

[18]  H. Kawakatsu,et al.  Photothermal excitation of a single-crystalline silicon cantilever for higher vibration modes in liquid , 2009 .

[19]  Luigi Zeni,et al.  Numerical study of a ferrule-top cantilever optical fiber sensor for wind-tunnel applications and comparison with experimental results , 2012 .

[20]  Paulo S. André,et al.  Optical Fiber Relative Humidity Sensor Based on a FBG with a Di-Ureasil Coating , 2012, Sensors.

[21]  S. Pirozzi.  Multi-point force sensor based on crossed optical fibers , 2012 .

[22]  F. Mendels,et al.  Dynamic properties of AFM cantilevers and the calibration of their spring constants , 2006 .

[23]  H. Bae,et al.  Miniature Fabry-Perot pressure sensor created by using UV-molding process with an optical fiber based mold. , 2012, Optics express.

[24]  Y. Rao.  Recent progress in fiber-optic extrinsic Fabry–Perot interferometric sensors , 2006 .

[25]  D. Iannuzzi,et al.  Ferrule-top atomic force microscope. , 2010, The Review of scientific instruments.

[26]  L. Reekie,et al.  Optical in-fibre grating high pressure sensor , 1993 .

[28]  Yuliang Liu,et al.  FBG pressure sensor based on the double shell cylinder with temperature compensation , 2009 .

[29]  A. Raman,et al.  High efficiency laser photothermal excitation of microcantilever vibrations in air and liquids. , 2011, The Review of scientific instruments.

[30]  D. Iannuzzi,et al.  Ferrule-top micromachined devices: design, fabrication, performance , 2010 .

[31]  D. Iannuzzi,et al.  Fiber opticsensors for precursory acoustic signals detection in rockfall events , 2012 .

[32]  Andrzej W. Domański,et al.  Comparison of macrobend seismic optical fiber accelerometer and ferrule-top cantilever fiber sensor for vibration monitoring , 2012, Photonics Europe.

[33]  H. Benaroya,et al.  DYNAMICS OF TRANSVERSELY VIBRATING BEAMS USING FOUR ENGINEERING THEORIES , 1999 .

[34]  Dennis S. Greywall.  Micromachined optical-interference microphone , 1999 .

[35]  Baoqing Li,et al.  Diaphragm design guidelines and an optical pressure sensor based on MEMS technique , 2006, Microelectron. J..

[36]  D. Webb,et al.  Humidity insensitive TOPAS polymer fiber Bragg grating sensor. , 2011, Optics express.

[37]  F. Baldini,et al.  Biomedical sensors using optical fibres , 1996 .

[38]  A. Mencaglia,et al.  Continuous monitoring of gastric carbon dioxide with optical fibres , 2003 .

[39]  Xiu Min Ang,et al.  Chitosan based fiber-optic Fabry–Perot humidity sensor , 2012 .

[40]  D. Iannuzzi,et al.  Monolithic fiber-top sensor for critical environments and standard applications , 2006 .

[41]  D. Iannuzzi,et al.  Fibre‐top atomic force microscope probe with optical near‐field detection capabilities , 2011, Journal of microscopy.

[42]  M. Penza,et al.  Relative humidity sensing by PVA-coated dual resonator SAW oscillator , 2000 .

[43]  A. Stefani,et al.  High Sensitivity Polymer Optical Fiber-Bragg-Grating-Based Accelerometer , 2012, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters.

[44]  Anbo Wang,et al.  High-temperature fiber-tip pressure sensor , 2006, Journal of Lightwave Technology.

[45]  M. Z. Zulkifli,et al.  High‐sensitivity pressure sensor using a polymer‐embedded FBG , 2008 .

[46]  Hwa-Yaw Tam,et al.  Development of a Fiber-Optic Sensing System for Train Vibration and Train Weight Measurements in Hong Kong , 2012, J. Sensors.

[47]  A. V. Churenkov.  Photothermal excitation and self-excitation of silicon microresonators , 1993 .