Optical sensing device for measuring deformation of a sample
AssigneeOptics11 B.V.
InventorsNiek Rijnveld, Grzegorz Gruca, Kevin Bielawski, Massimiliano Berardi
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Abstract
An optical sensing device includes a support with an aperture. The optical sensing device can removably hold a sample against the support around the aperture. Accordingly, a portion of the sample is free to deform through the aperture in response to a change in an environmental condition. An optical waveguide is fixedly arranged with respect to the support whereby an end of the optical waveguide faces the aperture. The end of the optical waveguide forms an optical interferometric cavity with a refractive index discontinuity at a surface of the portion of the sample that is free to deform through the aperture.
Claims15
A method of optically measuring a response of a sample to a change in an environmental condition to which the sample is exposed, wherein use is made of an optical sensing device comprising:
- a support with an aperture, the optical sensing device being adapted to removably hold the sample against the support around the aperture so that a portion of the sample is free to deform through the aperture;
- and
- an optical waveguide fixedly arranged with respect to the support whereby an end of the optical waveguide faces the aperture,
- the method comprising:
- forming an optical interferometric cavity between, one the one hand, the end of the optical waveguide and, on the other hand, a refractive index discontinuity at a surface of the portion of the sample, which is free to protrude through the aperture, the optical interferometric cavity having an optical path length;
- changing the environmental condition to which the sample is exposed so as to cause deformation of the portion of the sample through the aperture;
- and
- measuring a variation in the optical path length of the optical interferometric cavity in response to the change in the environmental condition.
An optical measurement system comprising:
- a support with an aperture, the optical sensing device being adapted to removably hold a sample against the support around the aperture so that a portion of the sample is free to deform through the aperture;
- an optical waveguide fixedly arranged with respect to the support whereby an end of the optical waveguide faces the aperture so that the end is adapted to form an optical interferometric cavity with a refractive index discontinuity at a surface of the portion of the sample that is free to deform through the aperture;
- and
- an actuator for changing an environmental condition to which the sample is exposed so as to cause deformation of the portion of the sample through the aperture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.