Performance Characteristics of a New Generation Pressure Microsensor for Physiologic Applications

A next generation fiber-optic microsensor based on the extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (EFPI) technique has been developed for pressure measurements. The basic physics governing the operation of these sensors makes them relatively tolerant or immune to the effects of high-temperature, high-EMI, and highly-corrosive environments. This pressure microsensor represents a significant improvement in size and performance over previous generation sensors. To achieve the desired overall size and sensitivity, numerical modeling of diaphragm deflection was incorporated in the design, with the desired dimensions and calculated material properties. With an outer diameter of approximately 250 μm, a dynamic operating range of over 250 mmHg, and a sampling frequency of 960 Hz, this sensor is ideal for the minimally invasive measurement of physiologic pressures and incorporation in catheter-based instrumentation. Nine individual sensors were calibrated and characterized by comparing the output to a U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Traceable reference pressure over the range of 0-250 mmHg. The microsensor performance demonstrated accuracy of better than 2% full-scale output, and repeatability, and hysteresis of better than 1% full-scale output. Additionally, fatigue effects on five additional sensors were 0.25% full-scale output after over 10,000 pressure cycles.