Diamond cantilever-based optical microphones and related systems and methods
12627934 ยท 2026-05-12
Assignee
Inventors
- Chongxin SHAN (Zhengzhou City, CN)
- Shen TIAN (Zhengzhou City, CN)
- Lei LI (Zhengzhou City, CN)
- Chaonan LIN (Zhengzhou City, CN)
- Yingying QIAO (Zhengzhou City, CN)
- Mingqi JIAO (Zhengzhou City, CN)
- Mingyang FENG (Zhengzhou City, CN)
- Mu LIANG (Zhengzhou City, CN)
Cpc classification
H04R2307/023
ELECTRICITY
International classification
H04R23/00
ELECTRICITY
H04R31/00
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
This invention unveils an optical microphone utilizing diamond cantilevers and its associated acoustic sensing system. The core component is a diamond cantilever, featuring a diamond diaphragm with a centrally located U-shaped groove. The manufacturing process involves several key steps: initially preparing the diamond diaphragm using silicon in a chemical vapor deposition setup, where methane and hydrogen are reacted under specific temperature and pressure conditions to form a diamond polycrystalline film on the silicon. This film is then separated from the substrate to create the diaphragm. Subsequently, a U-shaped groove is crafted on the diaphragm by applying a dry etching template and etching, resulting in the formation of the diamond cantilever, with a thickness ranging from 10 to 100 m. This method establishes a novel approach to creating sensitive and durable optical microphones.
Claims
1. An optical microphone based on a diamond microcantilever, characterized in that it comprises: a diamond microcantilever component, wherein the diamond microcantilever component comprises a diamond diaphragm; a U-shaped groove is provided at a central position of the diamond diaphragm, and a diamond microcantilever is formed by the diamond diaphragm inside the U-shaped groove; and a preparation method of the diamond microcantilever component comprises: S1preparing a diamond diaphragm using silicon as a silicon substrate, placed in a chemical vapor deposition device; adjusting a heating temperature and a pressure of the chemical vapor deposition device, and introducing a certain amount of methane and hydrogen for chemical vapor deposition reaction to obtain a diamond polycrystalline film on the silicon substrate; and separating the diamond polycrystalline film from the silicon substrate to obtain the diamond diaphragm; and S2preparing a diamond microcantilever covering the obtained diamond diaphragm with a dry etching template with a U-shaped groove; etching the diamond diaphragm covered with the dry etching template to form a U-shaped groove on the diamond diaphragm, obtaining the diamond microcantilever, and a thickness of the diamond microcantilever is 10-100 m; wherein the optical microphone further comprises: a base, with a first cavity opened at a central position of the base; a support, positioned above the base to support the diamond diaphragm; a second cavity is opened at a central position of the support, and the first cavity is connected to the second cavity; the diamond diaphragm is adaptively positioned on the support, when the diamond microcantilever corresponds to the second cavity; a pressure plate, positioned above the support, used to fix the diamond diaphragm in cooperation with the support; a third cavity is opened at a central position of the pressure plate, and the third cavity corresponds to the second cavity; optical fiber and ceramic insert, adaptively positioned in the first cavity; and an Fabry-Perot (F-P) interference cavity is formed between the optical fiber and ceramic insert and the diamond microcantilever; and wherein an interference sensitivity Si of the F-P interference cavity is expressed as:
2. The optical microphone based on the diamond microcantilever according to claim 1, characterized in that through-holes are set on a side wall of the base, and the through-holes are used to connect the first cavity with the outside of the base.
3. The optical microphone based on the diamond microcantilever according to claim 1, characterized in that diameters of the first cavity, the second cavity, and the third cavity are the same.
4. The optical microphone based on the diamond microcantilever according to claim 1, characterized in that a resonant frequency .sub.0 of the diamond microcantilever is expressed as:
5. The optical microphone based on the diamond microcantilever according to claim 4, characterized in that a mechanical sensitivity S.sub.m of the diamond microcantilever is expressed as:
6. The optical microphone based on the diamond microcantilever according to claim 1, characterized in that when the static cavity length of the F-P interference cavity satisfies d=(2n+1)/8, the interference sensitivity of the F-P interference cavity is maximized, wherein n is a natural number.
7. The optical microphone based on the diamond microcantilever according to claim 1, characterized in that the diamond microcantilever is rectangular.
8. An optical sound transmission system based on a diamond microcantilever, characterized in that it comprises the optical microphone according to claim 1.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
FIGURE ANNOTATIONS
(10) 1 Diamond cantilever component 2 Base 3 Gasket 4 Support base 5 Clamping plate 6 Optical fiber and ceramic insert 7 Screw 11 Diamond diaphragm 12 U-shaped groove 13 Diamond cantilever 21 First cavity 22 Through-hole 41 Second cavity 51 Third cavity
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
(11) In some embodiments, an optical microphone based on a diamond cantilever includes a diamond cantilever component. The diamond cantilever component comprises a diamond diaphragm, and the middle position of the diamond diaphragm is provided with a U-shaped groove. The diamond diaphragm inside the U-shaped groove formed the diamond cantilever.
(12) A diamond diaphragm is typically a vibrating membrane component with a suitable thickness and dimensions capable of producing vibrations perpendicular to its surface under the action of sound waves. A diamond diaphragm usually has a symmetrical structure, such as rectangular, square, polygonal, or circular. Generally, the diameter of a diamond diaphragm is in the millimeter range, the thickness is in the micrometer range, and the width of a U-shaped groove is in the micrometer range. In some embodiments, the length of the diamond cantilever is 3 mm, and the width is 1 mm.
(13) Usually, the diamond cantilever is in the central region of the diamond diaphragm. One end of the diamond cantilever is fixed to the diamond diaphragm body, serving as the fixed end of the diamond cantilever. The other end of the diamond cantilever is set as the free end and is capable of freely swinging relative to the diamond diaphragm body. Typically, a diamond cantilever is a component with a suitable thickness, shape, and size that can undergo deformation under the action of sound waves, generating oscillations during deformation. The edge portion of the diamond diaphragm usually needs to be fixed during use. Placing the diamond cantilever in the central region of the diaphragm effectively prevents the oscillation of the cantilever from being hindered by the surrounding environment, thus affecting the detection results.
(14) A diamond cantilever usually has a symmetrical structure, facilitating the generation of regular deformations under the action of sound waves, thereby producing regular oscillations, and improving the response stability to acoustic signals. Examples of symmetrical shapes include rectangular, square, circular, and elliptical shapes.
(15) Typically, the diamond diaphragm is fixed around the support base, and the diamond cantilever is placed in a free state. External sound fields are applied to the diamond cantilever, which is in the central region of the diaphragm, causing continuous deformation of the cantilever under the action of acoustic waves. The diamond cantilever produces oscillations perpendicular to the surface of the diamond diaphragm, converting sound wave signals into mechanical vibration signals and achieving the conversion of sound wave energy to mechanical vibration energy.
(16) The preparation method for the diamond cantilever component includes the following steps:
(17) S1. Preparation of the Diamond Diaphragm:
(18) Silicon was used as a substrate and placed in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) device. Typically, a microwave plasma CVD device is used.
(19) The diamond polycrystal was prepared by the high-temperature high-pressure method.
(20) Before the reaction, the silicon substrate was ultrasonically cleaned with acetone, methanol, and deionized water for 10 minutes each. Afterward, the sample was dried with high-purity nitrogen to avoid impurity contamination.
(21) The heating temperature and pressure of the CVD device were adjusted, and a certain amount of methane and hydrogen were introduced for the CVD reaction. A diamond polycrystal film is obtained on the silicon substrate.
(22) In some embodiments, the total flow rate of methane and hydrogen is 500 sccm. The concentration of methane in the mixed gas is 3%. The heating temperature of the CVD device ranged from 700-900 C., and the reaction time ranged from 20-40 hours.
(23) In some embodiments, the obtained diamond polycrystal film has a thickness of more than 500 m and a size larger than 1010 mm.sup.2.
(24) The diamond polycrystal film is separated and polished from the silicon substrate to obtain the diamond diaphragm. Laser cutting technology can be used for separation, followed by double-sided polishing to achieve a smooth surface and uniform thickness.
(25) S2. Preparation of Diamond Cantilever:
(26) A dry etching template with a U-shaped groove was placed on the obtained diamond diaphragm.
(27) The diamond diaphragm covered with the dry etching template underwent etching to form a U-shaped groove on the diaphragm. The diamond diaphragm inside the U-shaped groove extends from the outer diamond diaphragm, forming the diamond cantilever. The thickness of the diamond cantilever is 10-100 m, and the length is in the millimeter range.
(28) In some embodiments, the heating temperature of the CVD device is 880 C., the reaction time is 22 hours, and the total flow rate of methane and hydrogen is 500 sccm, with a 3% concentration of methane in the mixed gas. The thickness of the prepared diamond cantilever was 30 m.
(29) In some embodiments, the heating temperature of the CVD device is 880 C., the reaction time is 35 hours, and the total flow rate of methane and hydrogen is 500 sccm, with a 3% concentration of methane in the mixed gas. The thickness of the prepared diamond cantilever was 50 m.
(30) The preparation method uses chemical vapor deposition to prepare the diamond diaphragm. A diamond cantilever is obtained in the central region of the diamond diaphragm using dry etching, forming an integrated structure between the diamond cantilever and the diamond diaphragm body. This structure ensures good stability and high sensitivity.
(31) Typically, a coupling reaction ion beam etching device is used with oxygen and argon as process gases and aluminum foil as a dry etching template to perform dry etching on the diamond diaphragm.
(32) Diamonds have excellent properties, such as low density, high elastic modulus, high strength, chemical inertness, and biocompatibility. The high fracture toughness and high Young's modulus of diamond enable the cantilever to have a high spring constant, typically approximately 10 times greater than that of silicon cantilevers of the same size. The high Young's modulus and low density of diamond enable the cantilever to have a high resonance frequency and wide frequency response bandwidth, typically approximately 2.2 times that of silicon cantilevers of the same size. Diamond cantilevers have high mechanical sensitivity, good corrosion resistance, strong reliability, and strong resistance to electromagnetic interference and can be applied in complex industrial environments.
(33) In some embodiments, the optical microphone based on the diamond cantilever further includes the following:
(34) A base with the first cavity at its center.
(35) A support base was positioned above the base to support the diamond diaphragm. The support base has a second cavity at its center, and the first cavity is connected to the second cavity. When the diamond cantilever is adaptively positioned on the support base, it corresponds to the second cavity. Typically, the diamond cantilever and the upper surface of the optical fiber and ceramic core are parallel.
(36) A pressure plate was set above the support base to fix the diamond diaphragm in cooperation with the support base. The pressure plate has a third cavity at its center, corresponding to the second cavity. When the optical microphone is working, external sound waves act on the diamond cantilever through the third cavity, causing the diamond cantilever to vibrate between the second and third cavities.
(37) The optical fiber and ceramic core were adapted to the first cavity. The upper surface of the optical fiber and ceramic core and the diamond cantilever form an F-P interference cavity. The upper surface of the optical fiber and ceramic core is parallel to the diamond cantilever. In the F-P interference cavity, a light beam parallel to the resonance cavity axis, after reflecting off the parallel diamond cantilever and the upper surface of the optical fiber and ceramic core, propagates parallel to the axis, never escaping the cavity. Typically, the optical fiber is made of glass, and the ceramic core is made of ceramic material.
(38) As an optional embodiment, the optical microphone based on the diamond cantilever further includes a washer. The washer has a shape that matches the base and is used to fix the support base in cooperation with the base. By adjusting the washer, the parallelism between the support base and the upper surface of the optical fiber and ceramic core can be adjusted. Generally, a washer is made of paper, circular rubber, or copper.
(39) As an optional embodiment, the base, support base, and pressure plate are made of polyester fiber and 3D printed, and the size parameters of the base, support base, and pressure plate can be flexibly adjusted according to on-site requirements.
(40) In some embodiments, holes are provided on the sidewalls of the base, and the through holes connect the first cavity with the external environment of the base to ensure internal and external pressure balance and prevent internal gas from hindering the movement of the diamond cantilever.
(41) In some embodiments, threaded holes that match each other are provided on the base, support base, and washer. Generally, the threaded holes are evenly distributed along the circumference. Screws are set in the matching threaded holes to connect and fix the base, support base, and washer. The parallelism between the support base and the upper surface of the optical fiber and ceramic core can be adjusted by setting screws and washers.
(42) In some embodiments, the base also has a through hole for fixing the optical fiber and ceramic core.
(43) In some embodiments, after fixing the components of the optical microphone based on the diamond cantilever with screws, an optical adhesive is used for bonding.
(44) In some embodiments, the diameters of the first cavity, second cavity, and third cavity are the same, avoiding obstruction of incident light entering the F-P interference cavity due to different channel diameters and ensuring the vibration space of the diamond cantilever when subjected to sound pressure.
(45) In certain embodiments, the resonant frequency 0 of the diamond cantilever is expressed as follows:
(46)
(47) The Young's modulus E of the diamond cantilever is 1.141012 Pa, and the density is 3515 kg/m.sup.3. The resonant frequency of the diamond cantilever is 2.2 times that of a silicon cantilever of the same size.
(48) In certain embodiments, the mechanical sensitivity Sm of the diamond cantilever is expressed as:
(49)
(50) It is evident from the above equation that the longer the length Lis and the thinner the thickness h of the diamond cantilever is, the stronger the mechanical sensitivity Sm of the diamond cantilever.
(51) In certain embodiments, the interference sensitivity Si of the F-P interference cavity is expressed as:
(52)
(53) The optical coupling coefficient is expressed as follows:
(54)
(55) In some embodiments, when the cavity length d of the F-P interference cavity satisfies d=(2n+1)/8, the interference sensitivity Si of the F-P interference cavity is maximized.
(56) In certain embodiments, the diamond cantilever is rectangular in shape.
(57) In certain embodiments, an optical acoustic sensing system based on a diamond cantilever includes the optical microphone. An optical microphone based on a diamond cantilever used as a sound wave sensing device responds to sound waves by converting sound wave signals into mechanical vibration signals.
(58) In certain embodiments, the optical acoustic sensing system based on the diamond cantilever further includes a light source component for providing incident light, a detector for receiving interference light, a ring interferometer for guiding the incident light provided by the light source component into the optical microphone and directing the interference light emitted by the optical microphone into the detector, a data processing component for receiving and processing signals from the detector.
(59) Typically, the data processing component includes a data acquisition card and a computer, where the data acquisition card receives signals from the detector and inputs them to the computer, which demodulates the voltage signal into a sound wave signal.
(60) Generally, the light source component generates incident light, and the incident light passes through the ring interferometer to enter the optical microphone based on the diamond cantilever. The incident light reflects between the diamond cantilever and the upper surface of the optical fiber and ceramic core, forming interference light. The interference light passes through the ring interferometer into the detector, where it is converted into a voltage signal. The voltage signal is then output to the data processing component, which demodulates the voltage signal into a sound wave signal. External sound waves applied to the diamond cantilever cause continuous deformation, resulting in a phase change in the interference light and leading to a change in the voltage signal.
(61) In certain embodiments, the light source component includes a light source, a temperature controller, and a current controller. The temperature controller and the current controller are used to control the wavelength of the light source. Typically, a distributed feedback (DFB) laser is chosen as the light source.
(62) In conjunction with examples, the following provides further illustrative details of the technology.
EXAMPLE 1
(63) The optical microphone based on the diamond cantilever disclosed in this example comprises a diamond cantilever component 1, as shown in
(64) The width of the diamond cantilever 13 is denoted as w, the length as L, and the thickness as h. The cross-sectional area is S=wh, and the moment of inertia is I=h3w/12. The resonant frequency 0 of the diamond cantilever 13 is expressed as Equation (1):
(65)
(66) In Equation (1), E is Young's modulus, is Poisson's ratio, and is the density. The Young's modulus E of the diamond cantilever is 1.141012 Pa, and the density is 3515 kg/m.sup.3. The resonant frequency of the diamond cantilever of the same size is 2.2 times that of a silicon cantilever.
(67) When an external sound pressure is uniformly applied to the surface of the diamond cantilever, the displacement x generated at the free end of the diamond cantilever is expressed by Stoney's equation as Equation (2):
(68)
(69) The mechanical sensitivity Sm of the diamond cantilever is related to the displacement S.sub.m=x/P. Therefore, a thinner and longer diamond cantilever undergoes easier deformation and exhibits higher sensitivity under the same sound pressure.
EXAMPLE 2
(70)
(71) As depicted in
(72) When assembling the optical microphone, as shown in the left diagram of
(73) As illustrated in
(74) When there is no external sound field, the intensity Ir of the interference light inside the optical microphone is represented by Equation (3):
(75)
(76) In Equation (3), Ii is the intensity of the incident light, R1 is the reflectance of the optical fiber and ceramic core, R2 is the reflectance of the diamond cantilever, and is the phase difference between the incident light and reflected light. The optical coupling coefficient, , which is related to the static cavity length d of the F-P interference cavity and the wavelength of the incident light, is expressed as Equation (4):
(77)
(78) In Equation (4), no is the refractive index of air (n0=1), and is the mode field radius of the optical fiber and ceramic core.
(79) In this example, when stable interference occurs, the interference sensitivity Si of the F-P interference cavity is represented by Equation (5):
(80)
(81) In Equation (5), when the wavelength of the incident light satisfies d=(2n+1)/8, the interference sensitivity of the F-P interference cavity is maximized, where n is a natural number.
(82) From the expression of the interference sensitivity Si, it is evident that under the same optical transducer structure, the reflectivity of the cantilever is the main factor affecting the optical sensitivity. The higher the reflectivity of the cantilever is, the better the optical sensitivity.
EXAMPLE 3
(83)
(84) As shown in
(85) An optical microphone based on the diamond cantilever.
(86) A light source component for generating incident light. The light source component includes a light source, temperature controller, and current controller. A temperature controller and current controller are used to control the wavelength of the light source.
(87) An annular device that connects to the light source, directing the incident light provided by the light source into the optical microphone. The annular device is also connected to the optical microphone, directing the reflected light from the optical microphone into a detector.
(88) A detector for receiving the reflected light. The detector is connected to the annular device to receive the imported reflected light. The photodiode inside the detector converts the light signal into a voltage signal for output.
(89) A data processing component for receiving and processing detector signals. The data processing component includes a data acquisition card connected to the detector for collecting the received signals and a computer connected to the data acquisition card for processing the information collected by the data acquisition card.
(90) The sensitivity, Therefore, of the optical sound system is mainly affected by the detector conversion efficiency and is represented by Equation (6):
(91)
(92) In Equation (6), () is the response coefficient of the photodiode in the detector to the wavelength , and G is the optical power amplification factor.
(93) As shown in
(94) Step 501: Diamond Cantilever Optical Microphone at Rest
(95) When there is no external sound field, the diamond cantilever optical microphone is at rest. The light source emits incident light, which, after wavelength adjustment by the temperature controller and current controller, enters the interior of the diamond cantilever optical microphone. Multiple reflections occur between the upper surface of the optical fiber and ceramic core and the diamond cantilever, forming interference light.
(96) Step 502: Acoustic Energy to Optical Energy Conversion Process
(97) When an external sound field acts on the optical transducer, the sound pressure causes deformation (x) of the diamond cantilever, converting sound energy into mechanical energy. This deformation causes a change in the F-P cavity length of the optical microphone, with a length change (d), resulting in a phase change in the interference light.
(98) Step 503: Optical Energy to Electrical Energy Conversion Process
(99) The interference light enters the optical sound system and is received by the detector, which converts the light intensity into a voltage signal.
(100) Step 504: Signal Collection and Processing Process
(101) The above voltage signal is collected by a digital acquisition card and transmitted to a computer, which demodulates the voltage signal into a sound wave signal.
(102) In the above sensing mechanism, the overall sensitivity Se of the optical microphone disclosed in this embodiment is influenced by the mechanical sensitivity S.sub.m of the diamond cantilever, the interference sensitivity Si of the F-P interference cavity, and the system sensitivity. It is represented by Equation (7):
(103)
EXAMPLE 4
(104)
(105) As shown in
(106) The fitting curve slope of the optical microphone with a diamond cantilever thickness of 30 m is greater than that of the transducer with a thickness of 50 m. This indicates that under the same sound pressure, the thinner the diamond cantilever is, the greater its sensitivity.
(107) In this example, the sensitivity of the optical microphone with a diamond cantilever thickness of 30 m is 392 mV/Pa, while the sensitivity of the transducer with a thickness of 50 m is 102 mV/Pa. Both sensitivities surpass those of the commercially available electronic microphone produced by Denmark's B&K company, which has a sensitivity of 50 mV/Pa.
EXAMPLE 5
(108)
(109) As shown in
EXAMPLE 6
(110)
(111) As illustrated in
EXAMPLE 7
(112)
(113) The minimum detectable sound pressure is defined as the sound pressure detected at a SNR of 1 within the detection bandwidth resolution f. As shown in
(114) An optical microphone based on a diamond cantilever, as described in the present study, comprises a diamond cantilever with outstanding mechanical sensitivity that readily undergoes deformation under acoustic waves. The exceptionally high Young's modulus and low density of diamond confer a high resonant frequency to the diamond cantilever, providing a broad frequency response bandwidth for acoustic devices. Under the same bandwidth requirements, compared to existing metallic materials, diamond allows the fabrication of microcantilever beams thinner, longer in length, and more mechanically sensitive. Moreover, the smooth surface and high optical reflectivity of the diamond cantilever contributed to excellent optical sensitivity. A high quality factor of the diamond cantilever results in low material thermal noise and a high SNR during the energy conversion process. The superior hardness of diamond suppresses sagging caused by gravitational forces, reducing spurious signals in optical interference. An optical sound transducer based on a diamond cantilever, as described in the present study, is suitable for detecting weak acoustic signals and can be used in industrial environments with strong acidity and electromagnetic interference. The proposed optical acoustic sensing system based on a diamond cantilever has a simple structure, low manufacturing cost, high electromagnetic interference resistance, and long detection range, indicating promising applications in the field of acoustic wave detection.