Free-standing thin-film waveguides and slot waveguides offer excellent properties for gas sensing: high air confinement factors resulting in strong light-analyte interaction, reduced material absorption loss, and negligible Fabry-Perot fringes. We demonstrate that such waveguides combined with the sensitive and selective technique of mid-IR laser absorption spectroscopy can detect methane and carbon dioxide down to 300 ppb and 30 ppb levels, respectively. Isotope specific detection of CO2 with excellent 13C isotope ratio accuracy of 0.3‰ has also been shown. The unprecedented sensitivity together with miniature sensor footprint and microlitre sample volumes open new application areas in biology, environmental sensing and industral process monitoring.
Mid-infrared tuneable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) realized with photonic integrated circuits (PICs) has the potential to create small and portable sensing devices with exceptional sensitivity. Here we present a photonic crystal (PhC) W5 waveguide-based sensor, which provides stronger interaction between the light and the analyte than a free space beam, as well as low scattering and material absorption losses. We demonstrate its performance by analysing the transmission spectra of two CO2 isotopes at 4345 nm.
Sensors in mid-infrared spectroscopy based on attenuated total reflection (ATR) sensing with internal reflection elements (IREs) facilitate easier measurements of aqueous solutions or other opaque analytes. Micromachined silicon (Si) elements are an attractive alternative to conventional IREs, as they can be produced cheaply with silicon processing. Techniques for surface modifications are also easily integrated into the wafer process, and surface structures such as micropillars or nanoparticles can thereby be used for signal enhancement. Replacing the classic Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers with tuneable quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) also opens up new avenues for sensing. In this study, the performance of basic and signal-enhanced Si IREs has been compared for measurements in a spectroscopy setup with a fibre-coupled tuneable QCL source. These IREs had V-shaped microgrooves etched on the underside for more efficient in-coupling of light, while the signal enhanced IREs also had micropillars on the top surface. The results are also contrasted with measurements done in a standard ATR-FTIR spectrometer, using an Alpha II spectrometer with a single-reflection diamond ATR crystal. Various concentrations of glucose (0-5000 mg/dl) in aqueous solutions were used to characterise the system performance. The quality of the signal enhancement was evaluated with regard to sensitivity and noise level in the acquired spectra. The microstructured Si IREs gave a signal enhancement of up to a factor of 3.8 compared to a basic Si element, with some concomitant increase in noise. The absorbance was higher for both types of Si IREs as compared to the diamond ATR crystal. The effective enhancement and the limit of quantification improved by a factor up to 3.1 in the signal-enhanced IREs compared to the basic Si element.
We present a sensor design based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer utilizing sub-wavelength gratings (SWGs) that were included in the waveguide to compensate for the short optical path length and to provide phase modulation. According to 2D finite element method simulations, it is possible to achieve 3-fold enhancement in sensitivity and 50% increase in modulation frequency with the inclusion of SWGs in the sensing arm as well as in the reference arm.
Investigating photonic components as refractive index sensors requires reliable numerical models. Performing 3D simulations of large or complex components requires powerful hardware. Alternatives to time-consuming 3D simulations are approximations such as the effective refractive index method. We propose our improved method that more closely follows 3D results, named the inverse effective index method. The accuracy of our approximation method is verified by comparing experimental results with simulations. Ring resonators with 40μm radius are simulated and fabricated. Their qualities as refractive index sensors are assessed by probing their response in DI-water and in various saline solutions. The fabricated resonators are fitted with a microfluidic channel for sample delivery. A tunable laser is used to induce resonance in the ring resonators and the resonance frequencies are measured for all solutions. The accuracy between simulation and experimental data is found to rely heavily on the approximation technique being used. The differences vary from 300% to 6% depending on the approximation method. The fabrication and characterization of the ring resonator-based refractive index sensor took approximately two days, whereas the 2D simulations took under an hour to perform. This demonstrates the usefulness of a proper simulation tool to conduct accurate performance estimations in a short amount of time.
The ability to conduct diagnostic functions on a single chip has long been of interest to the medical community. Decentralization of laboratories combined with reduced costs, increased speed and a higher throughput of potential assays are all driving forces for lab-on-a-chip technology. The small chip sizes facilitate low sample volumes, which in turn allow better control of the molecular interactions close to the sample surface. The design and quality of transducers, microfluidics and functionalization processes have all improved over recent years. Despite the growing interest for lab-on-a-chip components, several challenges remain. Combining all three disciplines into a high-quality well-functioning chip that is cheap to fabricate while providing reproducible results is challenging. A project attempting to address these challenges is presented. The main goal is to design and fabricate a labon-a-chip silicon photonic biosensor with multiple channels for detection of antigens with improved sensitivity and selectivity compared to state-of-the-art. As a proof-of-concept, the sensor is designed for simultaneous detection of three distinct antigens: C-reactive protein (CRP), lipocalin and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). The main challenge lies within their respective concentrations as well as the specificity for each analyte, where concentrations vary from the mg/ml to pg/ml regime. Multiplexing is achieved by using photonic crystal resonators, which function as drop-filters, allowing for single input/output while simultaneously probing select transducers that are functionalized for different chemistries. The individual resonator designs facilitate different limit-of-detections (LODs) and dynamic ranges for each analyte. Preliminary results from the first single channel prototype are presented, while work on the multiplexed sensor continues.
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