The present invention relates in general to fiber optic seismic sensors, and more particularly, to an interferometric micro-electro-mechanical system optical sensor to be used for seismic sensing.
The traditional method for detecting land seismic signals has been the coil-type geophone. Geophone sensors consist of a mass-spring assembly contained in a cartridge about 3 cm long and weighing about 75 grams. In a typical geophone sensor, the spring is soft and as the cartridge case moves, the mass (coil) is held in place by its own inertia. Thus, the coil serves as a reference for measurement of the cartridge displacement. The geophone sensor arrangement is ideal for measurement of large, oscillatory displacements on the order of millimeters with sub-micrometer resolution. However, the frequency range of these sensors is limited. For best sensitivity to small displacements, a given sensor has a mechanical bandwidth of about 10 Hz. Sensors can be designed with center frequencies from 20 Hz to 100 Hz.
Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) are miniature mechanical components fabricated in silicon wafers. The fabrication methods are based on the same photolithographic and etching processes used to manufacture electronic circuits in silicon. In fact, most MEMS devices include not only miniature mechanical components such as beams, nozzles, gears, etc., but also integrated electronic components to provide local signal conditioning. Unfortunately, the integrated circuits limit the maximum operating temperature of electronic MEMS to 75° C. The maximum temperature limit can be extended to 400° C. or more if optical fiber sensors are integrated with mechanical MEMS components so that no electronics are needed in the high temperature environment.
Recently, MEMS accelerometer have been developed for 3-component (3C) land seismic measurements. In the MEMS accelerometer, a mass-spring assembly may also be incorporated. However, unlike the geophone, the spring is stiff and the mass moves with the case that houses the MEMS. The inertia of the mass causes strain and deflection of the spring. The deflection or strain can be measured with a sensor to determine the acceleration. High performance 3C MEMS accelerometers with capacitance sensors have been demonstrated.
The measurement range of an accelerometers is specified in units of ‘G’ where 1 G=9.8 m/s2. Commercial specifications include 120 dBV dynamic range (1 G to 10−6 G) and 500 Hz mechanical bandwidth with 24-bit digital resolution equivalent to a noise limited performance of 10−7G/(Hz)1/2. The accelerometer is fabricated on a silicon chip on the order of 100 mm2. Three single-axis accelerometers (each with an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) on each chip for signal conditioning) are packaged to measure in three orthogonal directions. The limitation of these accelerometers is an upper limit on the operating temperature of 75° C., which is imposed by the electronic integrated circuits and is not a fundamental limitation of silicon itself.
The present invention relates to a fiber optic seismic sensor having a silicon frame. A dual cantilevered beam structure is attached to the frame. An optical fiber extends to a borosilicate glass wafer attached to the frame. Glass wafers, such as borosilicate wafers, may be bonded to the optical fiber with a bonding agent having an index of refraction between the refractive index of the fused silica optical fiber and the refractive index of the glass wafer. In an embodiment, the bonding agent has a refractive index substantially similar to optical cement. Light is reflected into the optical fiber from the beam structure for measuring seismic changes.
Operation of the invention may be better understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the following illustrations, wherein:
While the present invention is described with reference to the embodiments described herein, it should be clear that the present invention should not be limited to such embodiments. Therefore, the description of the embodiments herein is illustrative of the present invention and should not limit the scope of the invention as claimed.
The present invention is a sensor 10, such as, an interferometric MEMS optical sensor that may be used for seismic sensing as generally illustrated in
Table 1 illustrates the configuration and predicted performance of the sensor 10.
In one embodiment, the frame 15 is a silicon wafer capable of being etched to form or define the beams 11a, 11b and cantilevered mass 12. For example, etching the top surface of the frame 15 may form the cantilevered mass 12 supported by the beams 11a, 11b. A cavity or interferometric sensor gap 18 within the sensor 10 may be formed by etching the bottom surface of the frame 15. In an embodiment, the cavity 18 has a depth of approximately 93.75 microns with a specification tolerance of +/−0.5 μm.
A lid 40 is attached to the exterior surface of the frame 15. In an embodiment, the lid 40 is borosilicate glass but may be made of other materials as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the lid 40 is etched or otherwise shaped so that the cantilevered mass 12 is movable to increase the size of the sensor gap. The lid 40 may be positioned such that the cantilevered mass 12 is located between the glass wafer 17 and the lid 40. In such an embodiment, the lid 40 may attach to the frame 15.
The reflective surfaces are R1 through R7. The primary surfaces R3 and R4 define the sensor gap 18, and, in a preferred embodiment, the reflectance of the remaining surfaces must be reduced as close as possible to zero. Each of the reflective surfaces R1-7 have a reflectance R. The reflective surface R1 is the end of the input (optical) fiber 30. Reflective surface R2 is the bottom surface of the glass wafer 17, which may be a borosilicate substrate. Reflective surface R3 is the coated interior surface of the glass wafer 17. For illustrative purposes, the reflectance of the reflective surface R3 is equal to 0.4 and may be referenced as R3=0.4. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the reflectance of the reflective surface R3 may be different and should not be deemed as limited to any specific value.
Reflective surface R4 is the interior surface of the cantilevered mass 12. The reflective surface R4 may be uncoated. In an embodiment, R4=0.33, which is the reflectance of uncoated silicon. Reflective surface R5 is the antireflection (AR) coated outside surface of the cantilevered mass 12. In one embodiment, the reflectance of the reflective surface R5 is less than 5.5×10−4 at 1550 nm. The reflective surface R6 is the antireflection coated inner surface of the lid 40. In an embodiment, the reflective surface R6 is less than 4.5×10−4 at 1550 nm. Reflective surface R7 is the uncoated outer surface of the lid 40. In such an embodiment, the reflectance of the reflective surface R7 is 0.037 at 1550 nm.
Reflective surfaces R3 and R4 may define the sensor gap 18 as illustrated in
The frame 15 may be bonded to the glass wafer 17. In one embodiment, the frame is a silicon wafer bonded to the glass wafer 17 that may be a borosilicate wafer having partially reflective dielectric coating. In an embodiment, the sensor 10 may be bonded to a borosilicate glass lid to protect and seal the sensor structure. The present invention should not be deemed as limited to glass or borosilicate. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate numerous materials within the scope of the present invention, such as, but not limited to materials capable of forming an anodic bond to silicon.
The reflectance at the reflective surface R3 is also referred to as R3. The reflectance of the inner reflective surface R4 from the etched silicon cantilevered mass 12 is defined as R4. The interferometric gap 18 is created by the spacing between R3 and R4 and may become a two-beam interferometer with heterodyne gain.
Table 2 shows the deflection of the cantilevered mass 12 for accelerations of 1 g, 1 milli-g, and 1 micro-g at zero frequency (static) where g=9.8 m/s2.
The influence of the Gaussian profile on the insertion loss as the ends of two fibers are displaced (pulled apart) along their common axis is discussed in Jeunhomme, Single Mode Fiber Optics, Marcel Dekker, p. 100. The results of the derivations from this reference are presented below. The loss factor α is given by equations 1 and 2.
where:
The above equation assumes that Corning SMF28 single mode fiber is used as the delivery fiber. Although other fibers may be used, information on Corning SMF28 is readily available.
a=5.25 μm
For sensor gap of 93.75 μm, α=0.158 (calculated using Equations 1 and 2).
The insertion loss is determined from equation 3.
IL=−10 log(α) (3)
Insertion loss versus the sensor gap is plotted in
Assume for this calculation that the reflector opposite the inner surface of glass wafer 17 is bare silicon. The reflectance R is given by:
R=(n1−n2)2/(n1+n2)2 (4)
where:
The plot in
The input optical fiber 30 directs and/or transmits light into and/or toward the sensor gap 18 and receives light reflected therefrom. The amount of light reflected from the reflective surface R4 that re-enters the input fiber 30 is given by:
αRSi=(0.158)(0.33)(1−R3) (5)
This assumes the configuration as shown in
If a 40% reflective dielectric coating is placed on the inner surface of the glass wafer 17 that faces the cantilevered mass 12, then R3=0.4. Thus, 40% of the light is reflected back to the source and the remaining 60% of the light is transmitted to the cantilevered mass 12. The amount of light reflected into the input fiber 30 from the cantilever mass 12 is:
Thus, two light signals with unequal intensities reflect back into the input fiber 30. The signal intensities in the input fiber 30 may differ by the factor R3/R′=0.4/0.031=12.8.
Equation 7 is derived from the layout parameters in
I/Ii=R3+α(1−R3)2R4+2(1−R3)(αR3R4)1/2 cos(4πG/λ) (7)
where:
In the discussion for Equation 6, the intensity of the light signals from R3 and R4 reflected back toward the source may be different. As mentioned above, two interference signals are shown in
Consider Case 1
R3=0.037R4=0.33
P−V=0.168 (8)
Consider Case 2
R3=0.4R4=0.33
P−V=0.346 (9)
The modulation contrast P−V in Case 2 is more than twice that in Case 1. It is important to note that the “zeroes” in the interference pattern for Case 1 in
The analysis below demonstrates how spurious reflections can be limited to ≦45 dB (3.2×10−5) below the desired reflected power from the reflected surfaces R3 and R4, respectively. The fundamental problem in maintaining relatively small reflections is locating a bonding agent that can be used between the optical (input) fiber 30 and the glass wafer 17 that may be a borosilicate substrate. For example, locating a bonding agent that has an index of refraction midway between the refractive index of the fused silica optical fiber and borosilicate.
where R3=0.4 and R′=0.031
Reflective surface R1 may be the bonding agent between the input fiber 30 and the glass wafer 17. For example, the bond between the input fiber 30 and borosilicate substrate glass wafer 17 may be made with an index matching optical cement. The refractive index of the cement may be 1.470 and the refractive index of the input fiber 30 may be 1.455. Using Equation 4, we calculate:
R1=2.63×10−5=−45.9 dB Meets the requirement
Consider reference (reflective) surface R2. The refractive index of the cement is 1.470 and the refractive index of the borosilicate substrate is 1.474. Using Equation 4, we calculate:
R2=0.18×10−5=−57.3 dB Meets the requirement
Consider reference (reflective) surface R5. In an embodiment, the effective sensor gap 18 may be (93.75 μm+(nSi)(t)), where the refractive index of silicon nSi=3.63 and the thickness of the cantilever mass t=25 μm. The maximum reflectively of the reflective surface R5 is shown in
Consider reference (reflective) surface R6. The effective sensor gap 18 is (93.75 μm+(nSi)(t)+100 μm). As above, the refractive index of silicon nSi=3.63, the thickness of the cantilever t=25 μm, and the distance between the outside of the cantilever and the lid is 100 μm. The maximum reflectively of the reflective surface R6 is shown in
Consider reference (or reflective) surface R7. In an embodiment, the reflective surface R7 is the exterior surface of a lid 40 for the sensor 10. The lid 40 may be a borosilicate lid and may have a rough-ground surface finish with a non-specular diffuse reflectance. In such an embodiment, the reflectance of the reflective surface R7 may decrease as 1/r2, where r is the distance from the surface in microns. The effective reflectance of the reflective surface R7 given in terms of the 3.7% specular reflectance from an uncoated glass surface is:
R7=0.037[(1 μm from surface)/(r)]2 (13)
The effective gap to the outside surface of the borosilicate lid is (93.75 μm+(nSi)(t)+100 μm+2200 μm). As above, the refractive index of silicon nSi=3.63, the thickness of the cantilever t=25 μm, 100 μm is the distance between the outside of the cantilevered mass 12 and the lid 40, and 2.2 mm is the thickness of the lid. The total gap in this case is 2485 μm. Thus the effective reflectance at the end of the fiber is:
From Equation 1, α4=0.005. The amount of light returning to the fiber from surface 7 is given by:
The present invention should not be deemed as limited to any specific distances between the lid 40, the reflective surfaces R1-7 and/or the frame 15. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that various positions and orientations of the elements of the sensor 10 are possible within the scope of the present invention.
When the MEMS assembly is heated, the gap increases in length by an amount ΔG given by:
ΔG=(CTE)G(ΔT) (16)
Where:
Thus, the change in gap with temperature is ten times smaller than the specified tolerance of ±0.5 μm for the gap.
The MEMS structure deflects as defined by a spring-mass system with damping as shown in
x(t)=X sin(Wt) (17)
where:
spring force k z(t)
damping force c[d z(t)/dt]
gravitational force m[d2y(t)/dt2]
where:
and
z″(t)=y″(t)−x″(t) (20)
where the prime marks beside the variables indicate first time derivative (single prime) and second time derivative (double prime).
The equation of motion of the mass, m is given by:
−kz(t)−cz′(t)−my″(t)=0 (21)
Re-arranging terms in Equation 20 provides:
y″(t)=z″(t)+x″(t) (22)
Calculating the second derivative of x(t) (Equation 17) and substituting the result into Equation 22 we obtain:
y″(t)=z″(t)−XW2 sin(Wt) (23)
Substituting the second derivative of y(t) (Equation 23) into Equation 21 results in:
mz″(t)+cz′(t)+kz(t)=mXW□ sin(Wt) (24)
The steady-state solution to this differential equation is given by:
z(t)=Z sin(Wt−Φ) (25)
where Z is:
where:
Wn=(k/m)1/2 (28)
and
From the MEMS model and Equation 29, the resonant frequency for the cantilever design shown in
fn=Wn/2π
fn=558 Hz (30)
The calculated frequency response for Equation 26 for several different values of damping is shown in
At frequencies below resonance, the spring-mass system behaves as an accelerometer. In this case, W<<Wn and Equation 26 reduces to:
Z=a/Wn2 (31)
Where:
Above the resonant frequency, W>Wn and the displacement amplitude Z approaches the displacement X of the container. To maintain predictable and single-valued response through the resonance, damping is needed.
The internal air pressure in the MEMS sensor assembly 10 shown in
The change in modulus of silicon with temperature is ≈2×10−4/C. Over the temperature range 0 to 200° C. the modulus decreases about 4%. This means that at 200° C. the cantilever deflects 4% more than at 0° C.
The maximum deflection in Table 2 is 1.775 μm at ambient temperature, i.e., 22° C. The deflection at 200° C. is approximately (1.775 μm) [1+(2×104) (200−22)]=1.84 μm. The allowed tolerance on scale factor change is 5% and the calculated scale factor change is well within the allowed tolerance. A secondary source of thermal sensitivity is the change in damping coefficient, h with temperature.
The major uncertainty in sensor scale factor results from tolerance stack-up that influences the thickness of the cantilever mass 12 shown in
Related to uncertainty in thickness of the cantilevered mass 12 is the uncertainty in length of the sensor gap 18. Together, the uncertainty in these parameters will affect yield.
MEMS packaging for this application is important for success. Several embodiments for packaging are contemplated. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other packaging can be used for the present invention. In a first embodiment, the packaging is a single unit package. Referring to
With reference to
Three optional approaches are shown in
Another approach is generally illustrated in
Another embodiment of the invention is generally illustrated in
In such an embodiment, the minimum width WM is the width of the octagon WO as illustrated in
The exact configuration of the container and pressure feed-through depends on the fiber cable specification. For example, if the input fiber 30 is contained inside a sealed metal sleeve, it is straightforward to seal the outside of the sleeve to the sensor container. The present invention, therefore, provides a relatively small size, high shock resistance, low-cost MEMS assembly.
The invention has been described above and, obviously, modifications and alternations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. The claims as follows are intended to include all modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the claims or the equivalent thereof.
This non-provisional patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/792,878, entitled “FIBER OPTIC SEISMIC SENSOR BASED ON MEMS CANTILEVER,” filed Apr. 18, 2006, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety.
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