First Portable Prototype of Photonic Pressure Sensor
February 27, 2019 | NISTEstimated reading time: 5 minutes
The new portable version is more compact. Its two-channel cavity is only about 2.5 centimeters long, a little longer than a postage stamp. Both the cavity and its optics fit into a single box, and there is also a smaller electronics rack and a pump for the gas-handling system.
In their partnership, NIST and MKS staff assembled the two-channel cavity at the heart of the prototype, while MKS managed the engineering of a miniaturized version of the system.
“We built the national standard version of the FLOC, which is designed to operate in a high-precision laboratory,” Hendricks said. “But we turned to industry under a CRADA to speed up the engineering and miniaturization work that needs to go into making something rugged, stable, transportable, low-power and able to work in a variety of different environments.”
“Our focus is on the science and standards, and not typically on the engineering required for miniaturization,” said NIST chemist Kevin Douglass.
Researchers also changed the wavelength of light used from visible red (633 nm) to infrared (1550 nm), used by the telecom industry and therefore a popular wavelength for commercial products.
Ready for Showtime
In all, the team was able to complete the prototype in about one year, allowing demonstration of the device last fall at the AVS International Symposium and Exhibition (a conference hosted by the professional society AVS, formerly the American Vacuum Society). So far, the portable FLOC is proving to have “great signal-to-noise and resolution,” Hendricks said.
Vibrations from people’s steps in the showroom could have theoretically thrown off the delicate measurements, but the device was robust enough to stand up to that noise. Its range has been demonstrated from ultralow pressures used in vacuum to about 2,000 pascal (the equivalent of about 2 percent of atmospheric pressure, or 0.3 psi), and work is currently underway to test it at much higher pressures.
And there are opportunities for further miniaturization. To save time, the team used some off-the-shelf parts. Future versions can be customized to only include the functions the device needs. Meanwhile, Hendricks’ team will compare the performance of the miniature version against that of the standard FLOC. The team will likely also perform shipping tests, where they test the device, pack it up, ship it somewhere, bring it back and then test it again to see if it yields the same results.
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