A MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS)-based fiber optic sensor and sensor network for improving weapon stabilization and fire control have been developed. Fabrication involves overwriting two fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) onto a polarization-preserving optical fiber core. A MEMS diaphragm is fabricated and integrated with the overlaid FBGs to enhance the performance and reliability of the sensor. A simulation model for the MEMS fiber optic sensor and sensor network has been derived, and simulation results concerning load, angle, strain, and temperature have been obtained. The fabricated MEMS diaphragm and the overlaid FBGs have been packaged together on the basis of simulation results and mounted on a specially designed cantilever system. The combined multifunctional MEMS fiber optic sensor and sensor network is cost-effective, fast, rugged enough to operate in harsh environmental conditions, compact, and highly sensitive.

Date Published: 4 August 2000
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 4037, Digitization of the Battlespace V and Battlefield Biomedical Technologies II, (4 August 2000); doi: 10.1117/12.395029

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4037:
Digitization of the Battlespace V and Battlefield Biomedical Technologies II
Raja Suresh; Homer H. Pien; Homer H. Pien, Editor(s)