Narrow Results

We discovered that Sr₂MgSi₂O₇:Eu phosphor emits blue light under the application of a mechanical stress, a phenomenon known as mechanoluminescence (ML). The ML showed a similar spectrum as photoluminescence (PL), which indicated that ML is emitted from the same center of Eu²⁺ ions as PL. The analysis of structure and thermoluminescne suggested that the origin of ML for Sr₂MgSi₂O₇:Eu phosphor can be attributed to strain-induced electroluminescence, that is, piezoelectricity impelled the trapped electrons to escape from the trap and produce ML. Furthermore, the relation between ML intensity and compressive load is close to linearity, which indicate that this sample can be used for smart-skin and self-diagnosis applications.

Cobalt and Nickel Phthalocyanines (CoPc, NiPc) were synthesised by chemical route. Phthalocyanines (Pcs) were characterized by different techniques such as, XRD, UV Visible, and FTIR. Samples in the pellet form were prepared for gas sensing applications. The effect of NO₂ at different concentrations in air at room temperature on the electrical conductivity of CoPc and NiPc has been studied. Sensitivity, response time and recovery time of sensors for different NO₂ concentrations were studied. The comparison of these materials as NO₂ gas sensor is discussed in this research paper.

We review recent works on optomechanics of optically trapped microspheres and nanoparticles in vacuum, which provide an ideal system for studying macroscopic quantum mechanics and ultrasensitive force detection. An optically trapped particle in vacuum has an ultrahigh mechanical quality factor as it is well-isolated from the thermal environment. Its oscillation frequency can be tuned in real time by changing the power of the trapping laser. Furthermore, an optically trapped particle in vacuum may rotate freely, a unique property that does not exist in clamped mechanical oscillators. In this review, we will introduce the current status of optical trapping of dielectric particles in air and vacuum, Brownian motion of an optically trapped particle at room temperature, Feedback cooling and cavity cooling of the Brownian motion. We will also discuss about using optically trapped dielectric particles for studying macroscopic quantum mechanics and ultrasensitive force detection. Applications range from creating macroscopic Schrödinger's cat state, testing objective collapse models of quantum wavefunctions, measuring Casimir force, searching short-range non-Newtonian gravity, to detect gravitational waves.

This paper reports the stress and frequency analysis of dynamic silicon diaphragm during the simulation of micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) based piezoresistive pressure sensor with the help of finite element method (FEM) within the frame work of COMSOL software. Vibrational modes of rectangular diaphragm of piezoresistive pressure sensor have been determined at different frequencies for different pressure ranges. Optimal frequency range for particular applications for any diaphragm is a very important so that MEMS sensors performance should not degrade during the dynamic environment. Therefore, for the MEMS pressure sensor having applications in dynamic environment, the diaphragm frequency of 280 KHz has been optimized for the diaphragm thickness of 50 $\mu$m and hence this frequency can be considered for showing the better piezoresistive effect and high sensitivity. Moreover, the designed pressure sensor shows the high linearity and enhanced sensitivity of the order of ($\sim$0.5066 mV/psi).

A novel design of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI)-based resonator based on slot micro-ring and Bragg gratings is presented. The corrugated Bragg gratings are structured on both sides of slot micro-ring waveguides. The variation of the effective refractive index is detected by monitoring the shift of the spectral of the resonator. The transmission spectrum and field distribution of the sensor structures are simulated using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. With the combination of the Bragg gratings, the measurement range of the sensor significantly increases without the restriction of a free spectral range (FSR). Our proposed sensor design provides a promising candidate for on-chip integration with other silicon photonic element.

Enhanced sensitivity, precise measurements and accuracy are the key factors to identify the performance of any sensor. In this paper, p-polycrystalline silicon micro-pressure sensor has been designed which works on the principle of piezoresistive effect. A theoretical modeling and computational simulation of the circular Si-diaphragm have been performed through the extensive study of stress and frequency response with the help of finite element method (FEM) within the framework of COMSOL. For a thin diaphragm ($\sim$50 $\mu$m), the Eigen frequency and the frequency generated in a diaphragm under the influence of pressure has been optimized within the pressure range from 1–25 kPa. The modes of vibrations generated in the diaphragm have been optimized at wide-frequency range $\sim$200–800 kHz at various pressure values. The findings of the presented research have suggested that for a $\sim$50 $\mu$m thin diaphragm, the optimized fundamental frequency is $\sim$310 kHz for showing better piezoresistive response which results into enhanced sensitivity. Moreover, the simulation results show that for the designed sensor, the pressure sensitivity of $\sim$11.51 mv/psi has been conveyed.

We propose a novel ultrasonic sensor structure composed of Cantilever arm structure slot dual-micro-ring resonators (DMRR). We present a theoretical analysis of transmission by using the coupled mode theory. The mode field distributions and sound pressure distributions of transmission spectrum are obtained from 3D simulations based on Comsol Multi-physics (COMSOL) method. Our ultrasonic sensor exhibits theoretical sensitivity as high as $1462.5\mathrm{\text{mV}}/\mathrm{\text{kPa}}$, which is 22 times higher than that of the single slot-based micro-ring ultrasonic sensor. Our ultrasonic sensor offers higher sensitivity and a larger detection frequency range than conventional piezoelectric-based ultrasound transducer. The results show that the sensing characteristics of our system can be optimized through changing the position and the angle of sound field. Our ultrasonic sensor is with an area of $25\mu \mathrm{\text{m}}\times 60\mu \mathrm{\text{m}}$, the $Q$-factor can be approximately $1.54\times 10^3$ with radius of $5\mu \mathrm{\text{m}}$. We detect an angular range of $-90^{\circ }$ to $90^{\circ }$ and a minimum distance of $0.01\mu \mathrm{\text{m}}$. Finally, we calculate the Cantilever arm structure slot DMRR array ultrasonic sensor’s optical performance. Our proposed design provides a promising candidate for a hydrophone.

In this paper, the spectral response of uniform and apodized (Gaussian, hyperbolic tangent, apod1, sine, and raised sine) FBGs is analyzed for sensing applications. The reflectivity at Bragg wavelength as well as for sidelobes was assessed as a function of grating length and apodization profiles. The FBG strain and temperature sensors were simulated and a linear response between applied strain or temperature and the wavelength shift is observed. The results indicate that the sensitivity of the sensor is found to be affected both by the grating length and apodization type. The typical strain and thermal sensitivity values are 1.223 pm/$\mu 𝜀$ and 13.60 pm/${}^{\circ }$C, respectively. The results suggest that Gaussian, sine, and raised sine profiles have lower sidelobe strength and reliable sensitivities. The key finding from this study specifies that the ideal grating length must be preferably between 5 and 10 mm for a good sensing behavior.

The measurement of patients’ dosages of radiation caused by medical diagnostics continues to be challenging. A Cantor sequence photonic crystal structure using porous silicon doped with a polymer of polyvinyl alcohol, carbol fuchsin and crystal violet (DPV) is proposed. The influence rules of geometrical and optical parameters such as the radiation doses, number of periods, porosity of porous layers, incident angle and thickness of layers are investigated using MATLAB based on the transfer matrix method. The transmittance of the Cantor sequence of a defective photonic crystal sensor under different conditions is investigated to select the optimum conditions. The proposed system recorded the accepted sensitivity of 0.265nm/Gy, FoM of 6.5Gy${}^{-1}$, Q of 12,701, RS of $6\times 10^{-3}$ and LoD of $8\times 10^{-3}$ for gamma radiation. The suggested detector has simple design, accurate monitoring efficiency and immense potential for gamma radiation sensing.

In this article, the design and operation of a cylindrical capacitive sensor based on the dielectric reactance capacitance and conductance changes of the gap medium is reported. The proposed system was used to determine characteristics of different water liquids as a result of the capacitance and resistance variations. The air gap capacitance (dry signal) is measured and then by filling the gap with a liquid, the capacitance (wet signal) is monitored for different liquids. A reported sensor is used for the distilled, tap, boiled, and salt water measurements and the capacitance and resistance results are compared. A big difference of about 38.5 μF in the measured capacitance values for the salt and distilled water shows a high sensitivity, which can be used to recognize different water liquids. The experimental results are promising for water liquids and verify the successful operation of such a device as a liquid sensor, a useful method for checking the electrical quality of the water that is required for different applications. It is also possible to monitor the resistance change of the filling medium as a function of time.

A novel microwave sensor based on waveguide filled with a metamaterial particle, which is composed of meander line and split-ring-resonator (SRR), is presented and modeled using a full wave electromagnetic commercial simulator CST. Simulating results show that evanescent mode are enhanced and transmitted through the structured particle within the frequency band that exhibits negative permittivity and permeability. Evanescent mode is sensitive to permittivity of dielectric material in the detecting zone. Comparing with conventional microwave resonant sensor, the microwave sensor using evanescent mode allows for much higher detection sensitivity.

In this article, two possible applications of prism-based probes for liquid-switching, level-sensing, and as a refractometer are described. Theoretical formulation is developed for the emergent intensity for each system and possible range of operation for each system is reported. By comparing the theoretical investigations, some hints are given in optimum usage of prism in each case. Variation of the beam divergence, incident angle, and prism glass index are major parameters that are considered in this investigation. The obtained results are compared with some available experimental results and practical points concerning the effective application of each geometry is reported. Theoretical expressions developed here are in good agreement with the experimental measurements.

Based on the field enhancement principle of trapped modes, two new asymmetric metamaterial resonators are presented. Transmission response (S₂₁) of the rectangular wave-guide filled with an asymmetric metamaterial resonator is simulated. Results show that the asymmetric resonator possesses high Q-factor and improved sensitivity. The microwave sensor based on the asymmetric resonator can be flexibly tailored to design requirement by varying the asymmetry parameter or the topological structure of the resonator. The asymmetric metamaterial resonator-assisted microwave sensor will have potential applications in biosensor and chemosensor fields for sensing minute amounts of dielectric sample substance.

A Photonic Crystal Fiber based on Surface Plasmon Resonance (PCF-SPR) temperature sensor with liquid core is proposed in this paper. Glycerin liquid with a high refractive index is filled in the central air hole of the hollow core photonic bandgap (PBG) PCF, the transmission type of PCF will change to total internal reflection (TIR), which will significantly broaden its transmission bands. The refractive index of glycerin changes with temperature within a certain temperature range and can be detected by measuring the transmission spectra, thus the accurate ambient temperature can be obtained. Numerical results indicate that the plasmon on the surface of the gold-coated channels containing glycerin liquid can be intensively excited by the core-guided mode and the excitation of the plasmon mode is sensitive to the change of the temperature. Resolution of the PCF-SPR temperature sensor with liquid core is demonstrated to be as low as 4 × 10^-6 RIU, where RIU means refractive index unit.

We demonstrate numerically and experimentally chiral metamaterials (MTMs) based on gammadion-bilayer cross-wires that uniaxially create giant optical activity and tunable circular dichroism as a result of the dynamic design. In addition, the suggested structure gives high negative refractive index due to the large chirality in order to obtain an efficient polarization converter. We also present a numerical analysis in order to show the additional features of the proposed chiral MTM in detail. Therefore, a MTM sensor application of the proposed chiral MTM is introduced and discussed. The presented chiral designs offer a much simpler geometry and more efficient outlines. The experimental results are in a good agreement with the numerical simulation. It can be seen from the results that, the suggested chiral MTM can be used as a polarization converter, sensor, etc. for several frequency regimes.

Cadmium-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles were derived by simple chemical co-precipitation route using zinc acetate dihydrate and cadmium acetate dihydrate as precursor materials. The thick films were casted from chemical co-precipitation route prepared nanoparticles by economic facile screen printing method. The structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of the film were characterized relevant to alcohol vapor sensing application by powder XRD, SEM, UV-VIS and DC conductivity techniques. The response and sensitivity of alcohol (ethanol) vapor sensor are obtained from the recovery curves at optimum working temperature range from 20${}^{\circ }$C to 50${}^{\circ }$C. The result shows that maximum sensitivity of the sensor is observed at 25${}^{\circ }$C operating temperature. On varying alcohol vapor concentration, minor variation in resistance has been observed. The sensing mechanism of sensor has been described in terms of physical adsorption and chemical absorption of alcohol vapors on cadmium-doped zinc oxide film surface and inside film lattice network through weak hydrogen bonding, respectively.

We propose a metal–insulator–metal (MIM) structure which consists of a $\pi$-shaped resonator and a surface plasmon polariton (SPP) waveguide. The finite element method (FEM) is employed in the simulation. The results show that this structure forms an optical pressure sensor. The transmission spectra have a redshift with increasing pressure, and the relation between the wavelength shift and the pressure is linear. The nanoscale pressure sensor shows a high sensitivity and may have potential applications in biological and biomedical engineering.

We investigate the characteristics of resonant modes in the side-coupled rectangular-ring resonator (SRR). The results show we can manipulate the resonant wavelengths of TM_a mode and TM_s mode by adjusting the outer wall width (Lx1) or the inner wall width (Lx2) of the ring resonators, and the effects of coupling distance on the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of resonant spectra are discussed. In sensing application, the proposed structure can work as a highly sensitive plasmonic nanosensor with a sensitivity of 1000 nm/RIU and a figure of merit (FOM) of 67. The values are comparable to periodic structures and the structures based on Fano resonance.

Perfect metamaterial absorber (MA)-based sensor applications are presented and investigated in the microwave frequency range. It is also experimentally analyzed and tested to verify the behavior of the MA. Suggested perfect MA-based sensor has a simple configuration which introduces flexibility to sense the dielectric properties of a material and the pressure of the medium. The investigated applications include pressure and density sensing. Besides, numerical simulations verify that the suggested sensor achieves good sensing capabilities for both applications. The proposed perfect MA-based sensor variations enable many potential applications in medical or food technologies.

A high-sensitivity sensor based on the resonant transmission characteristics of terahertz (THz) metamaterials was investigated, with the proposal and fabrication of rectangular bar arrays of THz metamaterials exhibiting a period of 180 $\mu \mathrm{\text{m}}$ on a 25 $\mu \mathrm{\text{m}}$ thick flexible polyimide. Varying the size of the metamaterial structure revealed that the length of the rectangular unit modulated the resonant frequency, which was verified by both experiment and simulation. The sensing characteristics upon varying the surrounding media in the sample were tested by simulation and experiment. Changing the surrounding medium from that of air to that of alcohol or oil produced resonant frequency redshifts of 80 GHz or 150 GHz, respectively, which indicates that the sensor possessed a high sensitivity of 667 GHz per unit of refractive index. Finally, the influence of the sample substrate thickness on the sensor sensitivity was investigated by simulation. It may be a reference for future sensor design.