Maarten Driesen

A Low-Cost and Highly Integrated Fiber Optical Pressure Sensor System

This paper presents a simple fiber-optic based pressure measurement system, in which both sensor and readout parts are constructed using batch micromachining techniques, supplemented with some straightforward assembly steps. Prototypes of relative and absolute pressure sensors parts and a readout part have been realized. Goal of this research is to enable deployment of such harsh environment sensors in high-volume, low-cost applications.

An optical absolute pressure sensor for high-temperature applications, fabricated directly on a fiber

Fiber optical pressure sensors show great promise in monitoring harsh environments as sensitive readout electronics can be located remotely. In this paper, a process based on thin film techniques and focused ion beam (FIB) machining is demonstrated that allows the fabrication of a Fabry–Perot interferometer-based sensor directly on top of an optical fiber. Besides its extremely small size and rugged monolithic construction, the silica-based sensor has the advantage that thermal mismatch is minimal and a vacuum reference pressure cavity is present, enabling application in high-temperature environments. Operation in an environment up to 600 °C is demonstrated. Furthermore, a possible route toward mass fabrication of such sensors is presented, avoiding the need for a FIB operation.