Sensitivity-enhanced Fabry-Perot interferometric fiber-optic microphone using hollow cantilever

Area of Science:

• Acoustic Sensing
• Optical Metrology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Microphone sensitivity is critical for transducer performance.
• Cantilever structures are a common method for optimizing microphone sensitivity.
• Fabry-Perot interferometric fiber-optic microphones (FOMs) offer potential for high-performance acoustic sensing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel hollow cantilever structure for Fabry-Perot interferometric fiber-optic microphones (FOMs).
• To investigate the impact of the hollow cantilever design on FOM sensitivity and performance.
• To establish an optimization framework for developing highly sensitive FOMs.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a novel hollow cantilever structure for the FOM.
• Integration of the hollow cantilever into the Fabry-Perot interferometric system.
• Experimental characterization of the FOM's sensitivity and minimum detectable acoustic pressure level (MDP).

Main Results:

• The proposed hollow cantilever design significantly enhances FOM sensitivity compared to traditional designs.
• Achieved a sensitivity of 91.40 mV/Pa at 1.7 kHz.
• Demonstrated a minimum detectable acoustic pressure level (MDP) of 6.20 µPa/√Hz at 1.7 kHz.

Conclusions:

• The hollow cantilever structure is an effective approach for optimizing FOM sensitivity.
• This novel design provides a valuable framework for developing next-generation, highly sensitive acoustic sensors.
• The results highlight the potential of structural modifications in enhancing optical microphone performance.