Monolithic silicon interferometric optoelectronic devices for label-free multi-analyte biosensing applications
2013
Miniaturized bioanalytical devices find wide applications ranging from blood tests to environmental monitoring. Such
devices in the form of hand held personal laboratories can transform point-of-care monitoring provided miniaturization,
multianalyte detection and sensitivity issues are successfully resolved. Optical detection in biosensors is superior in
many respects to other types of sensing based on alternative signal transduction techniques, especially when both
sensitivity and label free detection is sought. The main drawback of optical biosensing transducers relates to the
unresolved manufacturability issues encountered when attempting monolithic integration of the light source. If the
mature silicon processing technology could be used to monolithically integrate optical components, including light
emitting devices, into complete photonic sensors, then the lab on a chip concept would materialize into a robust and
affordable way. Here, we describe and demonstrate a bioanalytical device consisting of a monolithic silicon optocoupler
properly engineered as a planar interferometric microchip. The optical microchip monolithically integrates silicon light
emitting diodes and detectors optically coupled through silicon nitride waveguides designed to form Mach-Zehnder
interferometers. Label free detection of proteins is demonstrated down to pM sensitivities.
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