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The project intends to develop an innovative application based on an optical sensor able to measure the position and the displacement of a certain object. The optical sensor is made of a rare-earth-doped phosphate glass, which works as a non-contact laser speckle sensor. The composition of the phosphate glass belongs to Li₂O-BaO-Al₂O₃-P₂O₅ oxide system doped with rare-earth oxides (Eu₂O₃, Sm₂O₃). The glass is prepared by a wet non-conventional route, which improves the physical-chemical properties of the final glass. The project develops a novel method for measurement of singular displacements in one and two directions for arbitrarily shaped objects.

The novelty features brought by the project could be summarized as follows: (i) the elimination of the minimal interference between the object and sensor, (ii) the short response time due to the characteristics of modern photoelectronic light detectors, (iii) the flexibility of the method implementation, suitable for a broad range of measuring tasks, both in laboratory and industry, (iv) the innovative concept as a multifunctional sensor. These applications require only direct optical (visual) line by the protection of the active optical path from obstacles, extraneous light interference and vibrations of the sensor body.

The sensor is insensitive to the object shape, distance to the object and any longitudinal or transversal movement of the target when the image sensor is placed in the Fourier plane. The sensor could perform a resolution of 0.3 mdeg for small angular displacement.

The sensor utilization does not require special processing of the object surface, because the irregularities are comparable to the wavelength of the incident light. The sensor is a very robust device working as a non-contact optical system to be used for industrial and instrumentation applications.  The additionally micro-optical parts like micromirrors and/or microlens allow to be used as an integrated micro-opto-electromechanical microsystem (MOEMS) for industrial and scientific applications. The wider operating temperature range considered between -40 to 85ºC made it applicable for indoor and outdoor conditions including harsh environment encountered in a wide range of industrial applications and also for steering angle detection in automotive applications (e.g. for electronic stability control). Compared to other technologies our optical sensor has many advantages like highly accurate angle information, digital output and insensitivity to external noises sources.

The general objective of this project is the development of an innovative sensor for use in measuring of 1D and 2D angular displacement, based on the previous outcomes of R&D activities performed by consortium members. The essential constituent of the intended non-contact speckle laser sensor is a rare-earth-doped phosphate glass (REPG) part. A novel method for measurement of a singular 1D and 2D displacement for arbitrarily shaped objects will be developed along with the device.

•           Design and development of an integrated sensing instrumentation for real time non-contact measurement of angular displacement of machines parts for on site applications

 

•           Optimization of optical parameters of optoelectronic parts and the system accuracy increasing on the basis of innovative design solutions, microtechnology processes and specific materials 

•           Improvement of the resolution range of the sensor measurement

•           Development of high quality optical components based on REPG with tailored properties;

•           Design of multifunctional measurement system with high reliability for different equipments

•           Development of non-contact measurement instruments for one and two angular displacement for metrological approaches and remote control monitoring

•           Design and packaging of the sensor by a micro nano integration approach

•           Development of signal and evaluation-electronic for very small signals

•           Development of novel manufacturing systems for small series production based on micro-nano approach with following contents: 1.) a complete supply chain approach 2.) magazine concept for micro-nano-components; 3.) joining with nano soldering; 4.) micro-nano integration process; 5.) quality control in process and active assembly (zero failure philosophy)

•           Design and preparation of rare-earth-doped phosphate glasses (REPG) as bulk materials and thin films by different methods: conventional-dry route (melt-quenching); non-conventional-wet route (sol–gel)

•           Physical, structural, optical and electrical characterization of bulk REPG and thin films (according to the facilities of the partners’ lists): measurements of density, thermal expansion coefficient and characteristic temperatures (glass transition, crystallization temperature), viscosity, refractive index, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy, DTG-TA-DTA, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-VIS-NIR) spectroscopy, ellipsometry

•           Correlation of  REPG properties and technological parameters with the glass history and structure and also with the sensor characteristics

•           Building of a solid knowledge background regarding both processing and characterization of rare-earth-doped glasses and optical sensors based on these vitreous materials applied to angular displacement measurement

 

•           Involvement of young scientists in the project to deepen their knowledge and allow for a degree awarding (Ph D)

• National Institute of Research and Development for Optoelectronics INOE 2000 - Coordinator (CO)
• S.C.Sitex S.RL. (P2)
• New University of Lisbon, Faculty of Science and Technology-I3N/CENIMAT (P3)
• ARTEOS GMBH (P4)