Patent ID: 7336859
Filing Date: 2008-02-26
Classification: B82Y,G01N,G02B

Abstract:
1. An optical resonant sensor for sensing one or more contaminant particles in an environment, the optical resonant sensor comprising: a substrate; a monochromatic light source operable to emit light on said substrate of a wavelength interactive with the one or more contaminant particles being sensed; an input optical waveguide on said substrate having a receiving end positioned to receive the light emitted from the monochromatic light source and configured to allow the light to propagate there through toward an output transmission port; an optical waveguide ring on said substrate and positioned to receive at least a portion of the light emitted from the monochromatic light source; an output optical waveguide on said substrate and positioned to receive light from the optical waveguide ring and configured to allow the light to propagate there through toward an output transmission port; a first detector configured to measure a resonance dip at the output transmission port of the input optical waveguide; a second detector configured to measure a resonance peak at the output transmission port of the output optical waveguide; wherein at least the input optical waveguide and the optical waveguide ring form an optical resonator in which that the evanescent tail of a lightwave propagating there through the optical waveguide ring extends into the environment in which the optical resonant sensor is positioned and is sensitive to a contaminant particle in the environment.