OPTICAL INTERFEROMETRIC PRESSURE SENSOR

The invention relates to a vacuum measuring cell comprising a first housing body (1) consisting of aluminium oxide, with an aluminium oxide membrane (2) arranged in front of the housing body in a vacuum-sealing manner in the edge region, forming a reference vacuum region (25). The inventive vacuum measuring cell also comprises a second aluminium oxide housing body (4) which is vacuum-sealed in relation to the membrane (2) in the edge region, forming a measuring vacuum region (26), with connection means (5) for the medium to be measured. An optically transparent window (33) is embodied in the central region in the first housing body (1). The membrane surface (31) facing said window is embodied in such a way that it is optically reflective in the central region. An optical wave guide (37) for projecting light onto the membrane surface (31) and extracting it therefrom is provided outside the reference vacuum region (25) in relation to, and at a distance from, said window (33). A lens is provided between the optical wave guide (37) and the window, for optical coupling to the membrane surface (31), in such a way that the arrangement forms a measuring section for detecting deviations of the membrane (2) by means of a Fabry-Perot interferometer.