Abstract
In view of the large scientific and technical interest in the MEMS accelerometer sensor and the limitations of capacitive, resistive piezo, and piezoelectric methods, we focus on the measurement of the seismic mass displacement using a novel design of the all-optical sensor (AOS). The proposed AOS consists of two waveguides and a ring resonator in a two-dimensional rod-based photonic crystal (PhC) microstructure, and a holder which connects the central rod of a nanocavity to a proof mass. The photonic band structure of the AOS is calculated with the plane-wave expansion approach for TE and TM polarization modes, and the light wave propagation inside the sensor is analyzed by solving Maxwell’s equations using the finite-difference time-domain method. The results of our simulations demonstrate that the fundamental PhC has a free spectral range of about 730 nm covering the optical communication wavelength-bands. Simulations also show that the AOS has the resonant peak of 0.8 at 1.644µm, quality factor of 3288, full width at half maximum of 0.5nm, and figure of merit of 0.97. Furthermore, for the maximum 200nm nanocavity displacements in the x- or y-direction, the resonant wavelengths shift to 1.618µm and 1.547µm, respectively. We also calculate all characteristics of the nanocavity displacement in positive and negative directions of the x-axis and y-axis. The small area of 104.35 µm2 and short propagation time of the AOS make it an interesting sensor for various applications, especially in the vehicle navigation systems and aviation safety tools.
Highlights
Photonic crystals (PhCs) can be used as appropriate structures for creating all-optical systems and networks due to the low loss and high capability in guiding and controlling the light [1, 2].Article type: Regular Photonic SensorsThey consist of a periodic arrangement of materials with high and low refractive indices
The band structure of the fundamental PhC has been calculated employing the plane wave expansion method (PWE) and plotted in Fig. 1(a) for TM and TE polarization modes considering that a lattice constant is called the center-to-center distance of the two adjacent dielectric rods of a = 500 nm
TE mode, Hz x-axis TM mode, Ez x-axis (b) Fig. 1 Results of (a) photonic band structure of a fundamental PhC for TM and TE polarization modes and (b) transmission versus wavelength for TM and TE modes [the insets demonstrate the distributions of the magnetic (TE mode) and electric (TM mode) fields at the wavelength of 1.644 μm along the x-axis]
Summary
Photonic crystals (PhCs) can be used as appropriate structures for creating all-optical systems and networks due to the low loss and high capability in guiding and controlling the light [1, 2]. Nie et al [82] proposed an optical MEMS accelerometer sensor based on a one-dimensional photonic crystals wavelength modulation system with a focus on optimizing the sensitivity of the high-frequency device. The current study presents a novel accelerometer sensor in a two-dimensional PhC The advantages of this device are the wide free spectral range (FSR), narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM), high figure of merit (FOM), small footprint, and relatively low production cost compared with other existing MEMS sensors that make it an appropriate device for sensing applications. Mojtaba HOSSEINZADEH SANI et al.: A Novel All-Optical Sensor Design Based on a Tunable Resonant Nanocavity in Photonic Crystal Microstructure Applicable in MEMS Accelerometers wavelength of the proposed structure changes when the central nanocavity moves in every direction of the x and y-directions.
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