Highly sensitive low-temperature, low-pressure ultra-thin microbubble FPI sensors

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Materials Science
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Accurate measurement of low pressure and temperature is critical in various scientific and industrial applications.
• Existing sensors may lack the required sensitivity or accuracy in low-pressure and low-temperature regimes.
• Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPIs) offer a promising platform for sensing due to their high resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize an ultrathin microbubble Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) sensor.
• To evaluate the sensor's performance for low-pressure and low-temperature sensing applications.
• To enhance pressure measurement accuracy by mitigating temperature effects.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of ultrathin microbubbles using an improved arc discharge technique.
• Integration of microbubbles into an FPI configuration.
• Experimental characterization of pressure and temperature sensitivity.
• Utilization of a Bragg grating to compensate for temperature cross-sensitivity.

Main Results:

• Achieved a pressure sensitivity of 63 pm/kPa and a temperature sensitivity of 220 pm/°C at room temperature.
• Demonstrated ultra-high sensitivity to both pressure and temperature in low-temperature and low-pressure conditions.
• Successfully employed a Bragg grating to effectively eliminate temperature influence on pressure readings.

Conclusions:

• The ultrathin microbubble FPI sensor is a highly sensitive and accurate device for low-pressure and low-temperature measurements.
• The improved fabrication technique enables the creation of microbubble sensors with excellent performance.
• This sensor presents a novel and effective solution for challenging environmental monitoring and scientific research.