HOT Research
PlanOS-SFB Teilprojekt C02

PlanOS-SFB Teilprojekt C02

Led by:  B. Roth
Year:  2013
Funding:  DFG

The goal of this subproject is to develop novel types of integrated optical strain sensor arrays based on flexible thin polymer foils. Two optical concepts will be investigated. They rely on coupling of light through custom made polymer waveguide structures and detection of the variation of the transmitted intensity or wavelength as function of the strain exceeded. The main tasks are the design, the production as well as the comprehensive optical characterization of the sensor arrays. Within the two approaches the elongation of specifically prepared extension zones will be measured.

While the intensity-based design measures the coupling intensity between a set of emitter waveguides and their corresponding detector waveguides, the chromatic sensor will be able to determine elongation from a wavelength-shift that a strain on the sensor induces.

Both sensor approaches utilize multimode integrated waveguides for guiding the light, the dimensions ranging from a diameter of 265µm at the moment down to 100µm and 50µm in following iterations. The desired measurement resolution is 50µm/m (microstrain) with the chromatic type, while the intensity-based design is able to measure displacement, misalignment and tilt. With further progress, the performance of the strain sensors with respect to environmental influences shall be evaluated by automated measurements.

The subproject collaborates with subproject B04 for the fabrication of suitable coupling structures for light sources and detectors. Furthermore, the project will adopt and evaluate different manufacturing processes from the B-subprojects and also different polymers from subproject A01 and S02.