Apparatus for measuring mechanical measurands with optical sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9702738-B2
Application number	US-201214114085-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2012
Priority date	Apr 27, 2011
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring state variables with at least one fiber-optic sensor, containing at least one optical coupler, at least one filter element and at least one photoelectric converter, where the optical coupler, the filter element and the photoelectric converter are integrated on a substrate, and the filter element contains at least one Bragg grating which is designed to supply the light portion reflected by the Bragg grating to the photoelectric converter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus for measuring mechanical measurands with at least one fiber-optic sensor, said apparatus comprising:
at least one optical coupler including a single optical coupler having a first, second and third connector;
at least one fiber Bragg grating being configured as a filter element; and
at least one photoelectric converter,
wherein the single optical coupler, the filter element and the photoelectric converter are integrated on at least one substrate, the at least one substrate including a substrate that includes the single optical coupler, the substrate having two opposing sides that are larder than all other sides of the substrate,
wherein the first connector of the single optical coupler is adapted to receive light from a fiber-optic sensor, wherein the light received from the fiber-optic sensor at the first connector of the single optical coupler is supplied to the second connector of the single optical coupler via the first connector,
the second connector of the single optical coupler is coupled to the Bragg grating adapted to reflect at least a portion of the light received by the Bragg grating from the fiber-optic sensor via the first and second connectors of the single optical coupler, and
the third connector of the single optical coupler is coupled to the photoelectric converter, wherein at least a portion of the light reflected from the Bragg grating is supplied to said photoelectric converter via the second and third connectors of the single optical coupler, wherein the first and second connectors of the single optical coupler are in a plane that is parallel to either of the two opposing sides of the substrate, and wherein the third connector of the single optical coupler extends perpendicularly to the plane that is parallel to either of the two opposing sides of the substrate.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 , characterized in that the substrate comprises or consists of quartz and/or silicon and/or sapphire and/or glass and/or GaAs.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one electronic circuit being integrated on the substrate.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one light source which is integrated on the substrate.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the Bragg grating has a spatially variable grating constant.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one multiplexer having at least two inputs and at least one output, wherein the output is connected to the at least one filter element and the inputs are each connectable to one optical waveguide.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the photoelectric converter comprises at least one photodiode and/or at least one COD line.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one waveguide for transmitting optical signals and/or at least one conducting path for transmitting electrical signals.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1 , the at least one substrate comprising at least two substrates which are connected to one another by wafer bonding and/or by adhering and/or by soldering.

10. Apparatus according to claim 1 , the at least one substrate comprising exactly one substrate.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate has at least one coating comprising sapphire and/or SiO 2 and/or BaTIQ 3 and/or a 111-V semiconductor and/or a IJ-VI semiconductor and/or Si.

12. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the filter element further comprises at least one waveguide which extends in the interior of the substrate and at the end of which the Bragg grating is arranged.

13. Apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the filter element comprises at least two Bragg gratings which show a different reflection spectrum.

14. Method for producing an integrated optical component, which comprises the following steps:
providing a substrate;
producing at least one optical coupler including a single optical coupler in the substrate, the single optical coupler having a first connector, a second connector, and a third connector, at least one filter element having a Bragg grating, and at least one photoelectric converter, such that
the first connector of the single optical coupler is adapted to receive light from a fiber-optic sensor, the second connector of the single optical coupler is coupled to the Bragg grating being adapted to reflect at least a portion of the light and the third connector of the single optical coupler is coupled to the photoelectric converter, wherein said coupler is configured to guide at least a portion of the reflected light to said photoelectric converter, wherein the first and second connectors of the single optical coupler are oriented within a plane that is parallel to a front or a back of the substrate, and wherein the third connector of the single optical coupler curves away from the plane that is parallel to the front or the back of the substrate and extends to the front or the back of the substrate; and
pulsing laser radiation having a pulse length of about 10 fs to about 1000 fs on the substrate.

15. Method according to claim 14 , wherein in at least one step at least one layer is deposited and lithographically structured, which comprises or consists of sapphire and/or SiO2 and/or BaTiO3 and/or a 111-V semiconductor and/or a II-VI semiconductor and/or Si and/or a metal.

16. Method according to claim 14 , wherein two substrates are connected to each other by wafer bonding and/or soldering and/or adhering.

17. Apparatus comprising:
at least one optical coupler including a single optical coupler having a first connector, a second connector, and a third connector, and
a filter element, and
a photoelectric converter,
wherein the optical coupler, the filter element and the photoelectric converter are integrated on a substrate,
wherein the single optical coupler is configured to receive light from a fiber-optic sensor at the first connector of the single optical coupler and to supply the light received from the fiber-optic sensor via the first connector to the filter element via the second connector of the single optical coupler,
wherein the filter element comprises a Bragg grating adapted to reflect a portion of the light received from the fiber-optic sensor via the first and second connectors of the single optical coupler,
wherein the single optical coupler is configured to receive the portion of the light reflected from the Bragg grating at the second connector of the single optical coupler, and the single optical coupler is configured to supply the portion of the light reflected from the Bragg grating to the photoelectric converter via the third connector of the single optical coupler, wherein the first and second connectors of the single optical coupler are arranged in a plane that is parallel to a surface of the substrate, and wherein the third connector of the single optical coupler curves away from the plane and extends to the surface of the substrate.

18. Apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the substrate comprises or consists of quartz and/or silicon and/or sapphire and/or glass and/or GaAs.

19. Apparatus according to claim 17 , further comprising at least one electronic circuit being integrated on the substrate.

20. Apparatus according to claim 17 , further comprising at least one light source which is integrated on the substrate.

21. Apparatus according to claim 20 , wherein the light source comprises any of a semiconductor laser or a superluminescent dio

Assignees

• Schade Wolfgang
• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Schade Wolfgang

Classifications

• G01D5/35383

  using multiple sensor devices using multiplexing techniques · CPC title

• G01D5/3537 Primary

  Optical fibre sensor using a particular arrangement of the optical fibre itself · CPC title

• G02B6/02195

  characterised by means for tuning the grating · CPC title

• G01D5/35316

  using a Bragg gratings · CPC title

• G02B6/12004

  Combinations of two or more optical elements · CPC title