Photoacoustic devices and methods of manufacture thereof
OwnerXingwei Wang, Andres Miguel Biondi Vaccariello +1inventors
InventorsXingwei Wang, Andres Miguel Biondi Vaccariello, Rui Wu
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Abstract
Disclosed herein is an emitter for a sensor, the emitter comprising a source of visible light; an optical waveguide in optical communication with the source of light; and an optical absorption film in optical communication with the optical waveguide; where the optical absorption film has a different coefficient of thermal expansion from the optical waveguide; where the optical absorption film contacts a) a circumferential core surface of the optical waveguide; b) does not physically contact the optical waveguide but is located downstream of the optical waveguide; or c) is located on the circumferential core surface of the optical waveguide and downstream of the optical waveguide.
Claims21
An emitter for a sensor, the emitter comprising:
- a source of visible light;
- an optical waveguide in optical communication with the source of light;
- and
- an optical absorption film in optical communication with the optical waveguide;
- where the optical absorption film has a different coefficient of thermal expansion from the optical waveguide;
- where the optical absorption film contacts a) a circumferential core surface of the optical waveguide;
- b) does not physically contact the optical waveguide but is located downstream of the optical waveguide;
- or c) is located on the circumferential core surface of the optical waveguide and downstream of the optical waveguide.
A receiver for a sensor, the receiver comprising:
- an optical waveguide having a distal end and a proximal end;
- and
- a diaphragm disposed apart from the distal end of the optical waveguide;
- where a cavity located between the distal end and the diaphragm functions as a Fabry-Perot cavity;
- where the proximal end of the optical waveguide is in optical communication with a photodiode, an avalanche photodiode, a phototransistor, or a combination thereof.
(canceled)
A sensor comprising:
- an emitter and a receiver;
- where the emitter comprises:
- a source of visible light;
- a first optical waveguide in optical communication with the source of light;
- and
- an optical absorption film in optical communication with the first optical waveguide;
- where the optical absorption film has a different coefficient of thermal expansion from the first optical waveguide;
- where the optical absorption film contacts a) a circumferential core surface of the first optical waveguide;
- b) a distal end of the first optical waveguide and is located downstream of the optical waveguide;
- or c) is located on the circumferential core surface of the first optical waveguide and downstream of the first optical waveguide at the distal end of the first optical waveguide;
- and
- where the receiver comprises:
- a second optical waveguide having a distal end and a proximal end;
- and
- a diaphragm disposed apart from the distal end of the second optical waveguide;
- where a cavity located between the distal end and the diaphragm functions as a Fabry-Perot cavity;
- where the proximal end of the second optical waveguide is in optical communication with a photodiode, an avalanche photodiode, a phototransistor, or a combination thereof;
- where the first optical waveguide circumscribes the second optical waveguide;
- where the second optical waveguide is a single mode optical waveguide.
A method of determining a property of a media, the method comprising:
- disposing a sensor in a vessel that contains a media;
- where the sensor comprises an emitter;
- transmitting an incident light signal from a visible source of light to the emitter via a first optical waveguide;
- promoting an acoustic vibration in the emitter in response to light absorbed from the incident light signal;
- where the acoustic vibration is in the ultrasonic regime;
- disposing a receiver in the vessel;
- where the receiver comprises a Fabry Perot cavity in optical communication with a second optical waveguide;
- receiving a reflected acoustic signal from the media in response to the incident light signal;
- creating a standing acoustic wave in a Fabry Perot cavity;
- modulating an optical standing wave in the second optical waveguide with the standing acoustic wave;
- where the standing acoustic wave induces a periodic modulation in a refractive index of the second optical waveguide;
- and
- determining a property of the media, by the amount of modulation of the refractive index of the second optical waveguide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.