Silicon-Based Guided-Wave Optical Accelerometer: Experimental Consideration to Establish its Design Guideline

Our group has proposed and demonstrated a silicon-based guided-wave optical accelerometer with a proof mass centered on a diaphragm. It is strongly suggested that sensitivity is related to many factors, such as waveguide position, diaphragm dimensions, and size and weight of proof mass. These relationships need to be clearly identified in order to establish a design guideline. In this study, sensitivity dependences on waveguide position and diaphragm dimensions were experimentally examined. Regarding waveguide position, phase sensitivity was highest for the waveguide at the diaphragm edge, and was also relatively high for the waveguide at the edge of proof mass. Regarding diaphragm dimensions, phase sensitivity was found to be inversely proportional to the square of the diaphragm thickness, and proportional to the side length of the diaphragm.