Patent ID: 8839683
Filing Date: 2014-09-23
Classification: G01L

Abstract:
1. A pressure sensing device comprising: a sensing structure comprising a photonic crystal waveguide cladded by a planar two-dimensional photonic crystal, said photonic crystal waveguide supporting the transmission of a guided mode; first and second waveguides connected to said photonic crystal waveguide to support transmission of said guided mode through said first and second waveguides and said photonic crystal waveguide, wherein said first and second waveguides and said sensing structure are formed from a first dielectric material; said first and second waveguides extending laterally from said sensing structure and contacting dielectric support structures to support said sensing structure above a dielectric substrate and produce a spatial offset between said sensing structure and said dielectric substrate; wherein a dielectric constant of said dielectric support structures is less than a dielectric constant of said first dielectric material; and wherein said first and second waveguides bend under application of pressure to said sensing structure for increasing evanescent field coupling between said photonic crystal waveguide and said dielectric substrate and producing a loss in transmission correlated with said pressure.