Two-photon 3D printing diaphragm-integrated ring waveguide coupler for ultrasound detection

We demonstrate a diaphragm-integrated ring waveguide coupler fabricated by the two-photon direct laser wring technique as an ultrasonic sensor, which is integrated on an optical fiber tip. The device consists of a micro-ring waveguide with a diameter of 5 µm functionalized as an optical fiber tip light reflection mirror and a straight waveguide connecting a diaphragm. The evanescent field coupling can be realized between the two waveguides, and the coupling efficiency can be changed due to the variation of the coupling gap induced by ultrasound. Accordingly, the light reflection can be changed. Based on the plate vibration theory, the vibration frequency can be changed through optimizing the diaphragm size. The experiments show that the device exhibits a high sensitivity and low noise equivalent acoustic signal level of 1.07 mPa/Hz^1/2 at 100 kHz, which has great potential in various acoustic wave sensing applications.