Optical fiber sensor for membrane submicrometer vibration measurement

This paper presents an optical fiber sensor for membrane submicrometer vibration measurement. The sensor is designed ultimately for low-cost medical audiometric applications such as determining the mobility of the tympanic membrane stimulated by the tone. The sensing method is minimally invasive, and the sensing head does not contact the surface of the membrane. Measurements were performed on tympanic membrane phantoms. Deflections of a few nanometers were measured, and vibration maps of phantoms were taken.