Spectrophotometer comprising phononic MEMS structure for sensing absorptive fluid
OwnerWilliam N. Carrinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A spectrophotometer includes a photonic source and a photonic detector, wherein a photonic beam from the photonic source is directed through an absorptive or reflective fluid of interest into a photonic detector. In the illustrative embodiment, the photonic source and the photonic detector are disposed on separate micro-platforms that are formed from the same layer of semiconductor material. The micro-platforms are suspended by nanowires that, in some embodiments, include phononic scattering elements. The phononic scattering elements increase the thermal isolation provided by the nanowires.
Claims21
A phononic MEMS spectrophotometer (PMS) comprising:
- a first substrate;
- a photonic source formed on a first region of the first substrate, wherein the first region defines a first micro-platform that is supported, from a first surrounding region of the first substrate, by a first plurality of nanowires having phononic structural elements;
- a photonic detector formed on a second region of the first substrate, wherein the second region defines a second micro-platform that is supported, from a second surrounding region of the first substrate, by a second plurality of nanowires having phononic elements;
- and
- wherein the photonic source and photonic detector are configured and arranged so that a first portion of a photonic beam emitted from the photonic source and directed through a fluid of interest is received by the photonic detector.
A method of making a phononic MEMS spectrophotometer comprising:
- forming, in an active silicon layer of a silicon-on-insulator wafer:
- (a) a first micro-platform and at least a first nanowire and a second nanowire, wherein the first and second nanowires physically support and isolate the first micro-platform from a first surrounding region of the active silicon layer;
- (b) a second micro-platform and at least a third nanowire and a fourth nanowire, wherein the third and fourth nanowires physically support and isolate the second micro-platform from a second surrounding region of the active silicon layer;
- (c) a photonic source on the first micro-platform;
- (d) a photonic detector on the second micro-platform;
- (e) a first hermetic seal that encapsulates the first micro-platform and the photonic source;
- and
- (f) a second hermetic seal that encapsulates the second micro-platform and the photonic detector.
A method of using a phononic MEMS spectrophotometer for performing at least one of monitoring and identification of a component within a fluid of interest, the method comprising:
- directing, from a photonic source disposed on a first micro-platform formed in a first silicon layer of the phononic MEMS spectrophotometer, a photonic beam towards and through the fluid of interest;
- receiving, at a photonic detector disposed on a second micro-platform formed in the first silicon layer of the phononic MEMS spectrophotometer, the photonic beam after the photonic beam pass through the fluid of interest.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.