Design and implementation of MOEMS based optical diaphragm using Photonic Crystal for the prevention of barotrauma

Abstract

When there is stress on the eardrum because of a change in air pressure is known as Barotrauma. If there is excessive pressure than 20 KPa, damage to the eardrum may occur. During air travel, Barotrauma can occur due to pressure differences at high altitudes. This paper presented a MOEMS based pressure sensor using Photonic crystal. Two variants of sensor designs are a ring resonator and a semicircular resonator structure. Some of the potential use of a nanoscale pressure sensor is to measure the pressure inserted on the eardrum during scuba diving and the impact of an automobile airbag. The novelty of the work is to detect low-pressure between 5 KPa and 20 KPa. When applying pressure to the sensor, a variation in the refractive index occurs proportional to the stress imparted. The change in optical property caused the shift in the wavelength for pressure level. The impact of stress on a sensor placed on the diaphragm separating two media (air and water) were analyzed using 3D modelling and simulations. The designed sensor can be placed in an earplug to monitor pressure change. The Q-Factor observed is 3877.80 for ring structure and 4933.77 for semicircular structure. The novelty of the work is the development of Photonic Crystal based pressure sensor for Barotrauma detection and reduction of the sensor’s size.