A novel nano-scaled force sensor based on silicon photonic crystal

With advantages of ultra-compact size, high resolution, and easy integration, nano-scaled force sensors based on photonic crystal are widely used in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). The performances of these nano-scaled force sensors are mainly determined by the shape nanocavity. The principle of the sensor is that the output wavelength of the force sensor using photonic crystal varies as a function of force and pressure. In this work, a novel three dimensional nano-scaled force sensor based on silicon photonic crystal, in which a nanocavity is embedded in an S-shaped elastic body, is provided and studied numerically. The advantage of this force sensor is that it can be used in the NEMS to measure the component force in the X direction, Y direction and Z direction, simultaneously. The relationship between the force and the output wavelength is determined using finite element method (FEM) and finite difference time-domain method (FDTD).