Analysis of an Untethered Micro-Photonic Wall Pressure Sensor

Abstract

In this paper, we carry out numerical experiments to study and optimize the design of an untethered flexible wall pressure sensor. The sensing element is a micro-scale spherical dyedoped polymer that is embedded in a thin polymeric slab. When the spherical dye-doped polymer is optically pumped the morphology dependent resonances (MDR) are observed through the scattered light. These resonances are very sensitive to any perturbation of the morphology of the resonator. Thus small changes in the amplitude of the external pressure acting on the polymeric slab induce change in the morphology of the micro-scale laser leading to a shift in the position of the optical resonances. This in turn is related to the applied external pressure. By tracking the shift of the MDRs the wall pressure acting on the polymeric slab can be measured. Here we present the results of some numerical experiments to investigate the effect of geometry, size and materials on the performance of the sensor such as sensitivity and resolution. Also preliminary experiments are presented to demonstrate the MDR shift induced by an external hydrostatic pressure.