Monolithic Mirrorless Interferometer for Alignment-Free Gas Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional interferometer systems are limited by alignment errors, material inconsistencies, and spectral constraints, making them less versatile and effective in characterizing real-world environments, particularly in hazardous conditions where rapid and accurate gas chemistry characterization is crucial.
Innovation Solution
A monolithic, single-material, mirrorless interferometer design that uses a circumferential array of unit cells to measure optical properties across a wide spectral range, eliminating the need for alignment and allowing operation with various coherent light sources, thereby enhancing versatility and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional interferometer systems use multiple separate components (beam splitters, mirrors) that require alignment, then measurement capability is achieved, but alignment errors and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate optical components (beam splitters, mirrors) into a single integrated optical element. This monolithic design eliminates the need for multiple alignment operations between separate components, reducing alignment errors while maintaining the interferometer's measurement capability through the unified optical path
2Volume of moving object
If fiber-optic interferometer systems are used to reduce footprint and improve portability, then compactness and immunity to electromagnetic interference are improved, but coupling loss and lack of versatility occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs an optical element that can function across multiple spectral ranges (visible and infrared) using the same physical component. This universal design allows the interferometer to operate with different coherent light sources without requiring component changes, eliminating coupling loss issues while maintaining compactness
3Manufacturing precision
If monolithic designs are used to eliminate alignment errors, then manufacturing precision is improved, but thermal mismatch between dissimilar materials becomes an issue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a monolithic optical element made from a single homogeneous material throughout. This eliminates thermal mismatch issues that would arise from bonding dissimilar materials together, while still achieving the alignment precision benefits of monolithic construction. The entire optical element is fabricated as one piece from uniform material
4Device complexity
If a single wavelength interferometer is used to measure physical properties, then measurement simplicity is maintained, but the ability to characterize multiple environmental properties simultaneously is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables a single interferometer system to measure multiple environmental properties (temperature, pressure, gas concentration, humidity) by utilizing the interferometer's ability to detect refractive index changes across different wavelengths. The same optical element and measurement setup can characterize various properties simultaneously without adding complex subsystems
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design provides a highly modular, compact, and intuitive system capable of characterizing both free-space and encapsulated environments, enabling timely detection of changes in refractive index and other optical properties with high precision across short and long wavelengths, covering major molecular resonance frequencies of hazardous chemicals.
Implementation Method 1
The geometry of a monolithic, single-material slab can be made to both exploit the natural reflection and refraction within the structure
Implementation Method 2
takes advantage of chromatic dispersion's weak effect on total internal reflection (TIR) and refraction
Implementation Method 3
An interferogram is produced at the detector 18 as different light paths between the coherent light source 10 and the detector 18 have different optical path lengths
Implementation Method 4
Based on the difference in optical path length between the reference and probe beams, the refractive index of the sample is determined for different wavelengths
Data Source
AI summary
An interferometer includes a coherent light source and an array of electrically coupled light-sensitive pixel elements. The interferometer is configured to direct an internal optical path of the coherent light source and an external optical path of the coherent light source into a monolithic unit cell. In addition, the monolithic unit cell is configured to direct the internal optical path first through the monolithic unit cell and then onto the array and also configured to direct the external optical path back outside the monolithic unit cell through an external environment and then back into the monolithic unit cell and finally onto the array. In addition, interferometer is further configured to combine the internal optical path and the external optical path at the array and produce a first interferogram on the array, the interferogram characterizing an optical property of the external environment.