Design and numerical simulation of an optofluidic pressure sensor

作者：Ebnali Heidari Majid^*; Mansouri Morteza; Mokhtarian Saeed; Moravvej Farshi Mohammed Kazem

来源：Applied Optics, 2012, 51(16): 3387-3396.

DOI：10.1364/AO.51.003387

We present a numerical design procedure for an all-optical compact sensor by means of integrating the optofluidic switch polymer interferometers to measure the microfluidic air pressure and flow rate. The design is based on a flexible air gap optical cavity that can generate an interference pattern when illuminated by a monochromatic light. The optical interference pattern directly depends on the pressure. In our numerical simulations, we take the effects of fluid flow rate, solid deformation, and the light interference into account. We use the beam propagation method for simulating the optics and the finite element method for simulating the mechanics. The significance of the proposed sensor lies with its low power consumption, compactness, low cost, and short length. This sensor can operate under pressure range of 0-60 +/- 6% Pa at a constant temperature of 20 degrees C.

• 出版日期2012-6-1