Realization and Performance of an All-Polymer Optical Planar Deformation Sensor

Novel concepts for a planar optical deformation measurement promise broad application potential in fields such as structural health monitoring, process control, or life sciences. In this paper, we present a new approach to optical displacement and tilt sensing in thin polymer foils. We report on the design, simulation, realization, and characterization of an all-polymer planar strain and tilt sensor based on simple optical principles. The sensor relies on the evaluation of the coupling efficiency between two arrays of emitting and receiving waveguides. As a proof-of-concept, we show that the developed waveguide arrangement and readout algorithm allow monitoring a combination of both displacement/strain and tilt with the same sensor system at once. The performance and sensitivity achieved are in good agreement with simulations, and can pave the way for the future integrated 2-D measurement of larger deformations.