ABSTRACT
This paper reports the application of doped nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films-nitrogen-doped NCD and boron-doped NCD-as reflective surfaces in an interferometric sensor of refractive index dedicated to the measurements of liquids. The sensor is constructed as a Fabry-Pérot interferometer, working in the reflective mode. The diamond films were deposited on silicon substrates by a microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. The measurements of refractive indices of liquids were carried out in the range of 1.3 to 1.6. The results of initial investigations show that doped NCD films can be successfully used in fiber-optic sensors of refractive index providing linear work characteristics. Their application can prolong the lifespan of the measurement head and open the way to measure biomedical samples and aggressive chemicals.
ABSTRACT
In this work we present the fabrication and characterization of a diamond film which can be utilized in the construction of optical sensors for the investigation of biological samples. We produced a nitrogen-doped diamond (NDD) film using a microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MWPECVD) system. The NDD film was investigated with the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy. The NDD film was used in the construction of the fiber optic sensor. This sensor is based on the Fabry-Pérot interferometer working in a reflective mode and the NDD film is utilized as a reflective layer of this interferometer. Application of the NDD film allowed us to obtain the sensor of hemoglobin concentration with linear work characteristics with a correlation coefficient (R²) equal to 0.988.