Guided-Wave Optical Biosensors (original) (raw)

Integrated micro- and nano-optical biosensor silicon devices CMOS compatible

Proceedings of Spie the International Society For Optical Engineering, 2004

We show the design, fabrication and testing of micro/nanobiosensor devices based on optical waveguides in a highly sensitive interferometric configuration and by using evanescent wave detection. The devices are fabricated by standard Silicon CMOS microelectronics technology after a precise design for achieving a high sensitivity for biosensing applications. Two integrated Mach-Zehnder interferometric (MZI) devices, using two technologies, have been developed: (a) a MZI Microdevice based on ARROW waveguide (b) a MZI Nanodevice based on TIR waveguide. Direct biosensing with both sensors has been tested, after a specific receptor coupling to the surface device using nanometer scale immobilization techniques. Further integration of the microoptical sensors, the microfluidics, the photodetectors and the CMOS electronics will render in a lab-on-a-chip microsystem.

Integrated optical silicon IC compatible nanodevices for biosensing applications

Bioengineered and Bioinspired Systems, 2003

We present a nanobiosensor device based on evanescent wave detection by using optical waveguides in a highly sensitive interferometric configuration. The device is fabricated by standard CMOS microelectronics technology after a precise design of the device structure in order to achieve a high surface sensitivity for biosensing applications. Direct immunosensing with the sensor has been tested after a covalent bonding of the receptor layer to the surface device. A flow delivery system, optical bench for testing, data acquisition and processing of the signal have been also implemented.

Integrated micro- and nano-optical biosensor silicon devices CMOS compatible

Optoelectronic Integration on Silicon, 2004

We show the design, fabrication and testing of micro/nanobiosensor devices based on optical waveguides in a highly sensitive interferometric configuration and by using evanescent wave detection. The devices are fabricated by standard Silicon CMOS microelectronics technology after a precise design for achieving a high sensitivity for biosensing applications. Two integrated Mach-Zehnder interferometric (MZI) devices, using two technologies, have been developed: (a) a MZI Microdevice based on ARROW waveguide (b) a MZI Nanodevice based on TIR waveguide. Direct biosensing with both sensors has been tested, after a specific receptor coupling to the surface device using nanometer scale immobilization techniques. Further integration of the microoptical sensors, the microfluidics, the photodetectors and the CMOS electronics will render in a lab-on-a-chip microsystem.

Integrated optical biosensorfor detection of multivalent proteins

Optics Letters, 1999

We have developed a simple, highly sensitive and specif ic optical waveguide sensor for the detection of multivalent proteins. The optical biosensor is based on optically tagged glycolipid receptors embedded within a f luid phospholipid bilayer membrane formed upon the surface of a planar optical waveguide. Binding of multivalent cholera toxin triggers a f luorescence resonance energy transfer that results in a two-color optical change that is monitored by measurement of emitted luminescence above the waveguide surface. The sensor approach is highly sensitive and specific and requires no additional reagents and washing steps. Demonstration of protein-receptor recognition by use of planar optical waveguides provides a path forward for the development of f ieldable miniaturized biosensor arrays. 

Label-Free Biosensors Based onto Monolithically Integrated onto Silicon Optical Transducers

Chemosensors

The article reviews the current status of label-free integrated optical biosensors focusing on the evolution over the years of their analytical performance. At first, a short introduction to the evanescent wave optics is provided followed by detailed description of the main categories of label-free optical biosensors, including sensors based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR), grating couplers, photonic crystals, ring resonators, and interferometric transducers. For each type of biosensor, the detection principle is first provided followed by description of the different transducer configurations so far developed and their performance as biosensors. Finally, a short discussion about the current limitations and future perspectives of integrated label-free optical biosensors is provided.

Optical Guided-wave Chemical and Biosensors I

Springer Series on Chemical Sensors and Biosensors, 2009

Electron transfer processes to/from monolayers or submonolayers of surface-confined molecules are at the core of several established or emerging sensor technologies. Spectroelectrochemical techniques to monitor these redox processes combine spectroscopic information with the normally monitored electrochemical parameters, such as changes in current or voltage, and can be much more sensitive to changes in optical properties coupled with electron transfer than electrochemical techniques alone. Spectroelectrochemical techniques based on absorbance measurements typically suffer from low sensitivity owing to the low concentrations of redox active species on the surface, and their low absorptivities. Electro-active, single-mode waveguide technologies, developed over the last decade, have provided more than adequate sensitivity to characterize electron transfer to surface-confined molecules where the coverage can be as low as a few percent of a monolayer. In this chapter, we review the major developments in combining electrochemical analysis with optical platforms that maximize optical sensitivity, through the development of electro-active integrated planar waveguides operating in the single-mode optical regime. We provide here a general overview of the theoretical formalisms associated with light propagation and absorbance measurements in integrated optical waveguides, and their electro-active counterparts. We also describe the major implementations of the technology, including the extension of the single-mode configuration into a broadband spectroscopic tool to facilitate the interrogation of the entire visible wavelength region during the redox event, and review some specific applications of these techniques, which demonstrate its sensitivity and broad utility.

Optical grating coupler biosensors

Biomaterials, 2002

By incorporating a grating in a planar optical waveguide one creates a device with which the spectrum of guided lightmodes can be measured. When the surface of the waveguide is exposed to different solutions, the peaks in the spectrum shift due to molecular interactions with the surface. Optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy (OWLS) is a highly sensitive technique that is capable of real-time monitoring of these interactions. Since this integrated optical method is based on the measurement of the polarizability density (i.e., refractive index) in the vicinity of the waveguide surface, radioactive, fluorescent or other kinds of labeling are not required. In addition, measurement of at least two guided modes enables the absolute mass of adsorbed molecules to be determined. In this article, the technique will be described in some detail, and applications from different areas will be discussed. Selected examples will be presented to demonstrate how monitoring the modification of different metal oxides with polymers and the response of the coated oxides to biofluids help in the design of novel biomaterials; how OWLS is useful for accurate bioaffinity sensing, which is a key issue in the development of new drugs; and how the quantitative study of protein-DNA/RNA and cell-surface interactions can enhance the understanding of processes in molecular and cellular biology.

Integrated optical devices for lab-on-a-chip biosensing applications

Laser & Photonics Reviews, 2012

The application of portable, easy-to-use and highly sensitive lab-on-a-chip biosensing devices for real-time diagnosis could offer significant advantages over current analytical methods. Integrated optics-based biosensors have become the most suitable technology for lab-on-chip integration due to their ability for miniaturization, their extreme sensitivity, robustness, reliability, and their potential for multiplexing and mass production at low cost. This review provides an extended overview of the state-of-the-art in integrated photonic biosensors technology including interferometers, grating couplers, microring resonators, photonic crystals and other novel nanophotonic transducers. Particular emphasis has been placed on describing their real biosensing applications and wherever possible a comparison of the sensing performances between each type of device is included. The way towards achieving operative lab-on-a-chip platform incorporating the photonic biosensors is also reviewed. Concluding remarks regarding the future prospects and potential impact of this technology are also provided.

Optical Slot-Waveguide Based Biochemical Sensors

Sensors, 2009

Slot-waveguides allow light to be guided and strongly confined inside a nanometer-scale region of low refractive index. Thus stronger light-analyte interaction can be obtained as compared to that achievable by a conventional waveguide, in which the propagating beam is confined to the high-refractive-index core of the waveguide. In addition, slot-waveguides can be fabricated by employing CMOS compatible materials and technology, enabling miniaturization, integration with electronic, photonic and fluidic components in a chip, and mass production. These advantages have made the use of slotwaveguides for highly sensitive biochemical optical integrated sensors an emerging field. In this paper, recent achievements in slot-waveguide based biochemical sensing will be reviewed. These include slot-waveguide ring resonator based refractometric label-free biosensors, label-based optical sensing, and nano-opto-mechanical sensors.

An Analysis of a Compact Label-Free Guiding-Wave Biosensor Based on a Semiconductor-Clad Dielectric Strip Waveguide

Sensors, 2020

In this paper, a compact, integrated, semiconductor-clad strip waveguide label-free biosensor is proposed and analyzed. The device is based on CMOS-compatible materials such as amorphous-Si and silicon oxynitride. The optical sensor performance has been modeled by a three-dimensional beam propagation method. The simulations indicate that a 20-µm-long device can exhibit a surface limit of detection of 3 ng/cm 2 for avidin molecules in aqueous solution. The sensor performance compares well to those displayed by other photonic biosensors with much larger footprints. The fabrication tolerances have been also studied in order to analyze the feasibility of the practical implementation of the biosensor.