Cavities have been laser ablated in the ends of single-mode optical fibers and sealed by aluminized polycarbonate diaphragms to produce Fabry-Perot pressure sensors. Both conventional fibers and novel, multicore fibers were used, demonstrating the possibility of producing compact arrays of sensors and multiple sensors on an individual fiber 125 microm in diameter. This high spatial resolution can be combined with high temporal resolution by simultaneously interrogating the sensors by using separate laser sources at three wavelengths. Shock tube tests showed a sensor response time of 3 micros to a step increase in pressure.

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Plastic optical fibres (POF) continuously gained its importance during the last decade, since they are widely used in automotive applications for optical data communications (for e.g. MOST). The application of POF for in-flightentertainment (IFE) optical networks in civil aircraft cabin areas is currently under investigation. Since it is expected that the optical networks will develop from a point-to-point network architecture to more complicated structures there will be a need for optical couplers distributing the signals to different suppliers. Typical applications would be for e.g. the distribution of optical data to IFE implemented within single seats of a seat row of an airplane. Within this work the fabrication of an optical 1x2 POF coupler by the Laser-LIGA technique is demonstrated. The Laser-LIGA technique compared to standard X-ray lithography is simpler and more cost effective. Moreover, the Laser ablation technique also allows rapid prototyping of the same structures. The POF couplers fabricated by this technology show insertion loss values down to about 5.6 dB, depending on the waveguide core material and exhibit good uniformity values in the order of 0.1 dB.

In a previous study, we concluded that a conductivity based PCO2 sensor is an attractive solution for early detection of ischemia and presented two design geometries. For organ surface measurements, the planar design was suitable but it was difficult to insert the sensor into the tissue. A cylindrical design solution was favored for insertion due to the large membrane contact area and easy placement in a medical catheter. Since the previous cylindrical prototype was large and could damage the tissue, a more miniaturized sensor was needed. In the current paper, we present a miniaturized sensor with an outer diameter of 1 mm. The applied technology for manufacturing the sensor was a combination of mechanical turning, excimer laser drilling and conventional molding technique. The materials applied were PEEK (polyetherether ketone), PI (polyimide) with gold layers and polysiloxane. The membrane had to be gas permeable while acting as a barrier for ion transport, and was made of polysiloxane and had a thickness of 100-150 microm. The miniaturized sensor was tested for calibration, response time, drifting and pressure sensitivity. The results show that the miniaturized PCO2 sensor is capable of rapid and stable measurements both in vitro and ex vivo. The result from this study will be applied for the industrial manufacturing of such a biomedical sensor as a clinical product.