Patent ID: 9151968
Filing Date: 2015-10-06
Classification: G01N,G02F

Abstract:
1. Integrated optical waveguide interferometer sensor comprising a substrate carrying a waveguide layer structure, the integrated optical waveguide interferometer sensor configured for sensing of at least one of chemical or physical quantities, the waveguide layer structure comprising: a sensing branch comprising a first waveguide core layer sandwiched between two first cladding layers formed by a first lower cladding layer and a first upper cladding layer, of a lower refractive index than the first waveguide core layer; a reference branch comprising a second waveguide core layer sandwiched between two second claddings layers formed by a second lower cladding layer and a second upper cladding layer, of a lower refractive index than the second waveguide core layer; a splitter and a combiner for optically coupling said first and second waveguide core layers at first and second junctions, respectively; a modulation section of a polymer cladding material included in at least one of the first upper cladding layer or the second upper cladding layer, wherein the polymer cladding material is applied within a window between the first and second junctions, the window comprising a region formed by the at least one of the first upper cladding layer or the second upper cladding layer originally in the region being locally removed, wherein the polymer cladding has a higher refractive index than the first or second lower cladding layer such that an evanescent field of light traveling through the sensing branch or the reference branch is pulled into the polymer cladding material, said polymer cladding material having an index of refraction that varies with temperature; means for raising and lowering the temperature of said polymer cladding material, such that the modulation section thereby is configured to change the phase of radiation propagating through at least one of said first and second waveguide core layers; and a sensing window included in the sensing branch, wherein the sensing window is configured such that, in the sensing window, the evanescent field of light traveling through the sensing branch extents into an environment above the sensor and is susceptible to an environmental change.