Evanescent coupling in a waveguide fluoroimmunosensor

Douglas A. Christensen; Shellee Dyer; Jyrki S. Kimmel; James N. Herron

doi:10.1117/12.58302

Translator Disclaimer

16 April 1992 Evanescent coupling in a waveguide fluoroimmunosensor

Douglas A. Christensen, Shellee Dyer, Jyrki S. Kimmel, James N. Herron

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 1648, Fiber Optic Medical and Fluorescent Sensors and Applications; (1992) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.58302
Event: OE/LASE '92, 1992, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Abstract

A key factor in the analysis of evanescently coupled optical sensors, such as the planar waveguide immunosensor analyzed here, is the efficiency of coupling between the optical waveguide modes and the fluorescent sources located on the surface of the waveguide. This is an important parameter in determining the sensor's sensitivity to the analyte. We calculate this efficiency for several different sensor configurations using the finite-difference time-domain numerical technique, and find that the efficiency of one-way coupling can vary widely depending upon the fluorescent source polarization, phase, and distance from the surface, as well as the waveguide mode number and thickness. In particular, we find that when the layer containing the fluorescent molecules is uniform in refractive index, the coupling efficiency is larger than when the local environment possesses an irregular index.

Citation Download Citation

Douglas A. Christensen, Shellee Dyer, Jyrki S. Kimmel, and James N. Herron "Evanescent coupling in a waveguide fluoroimmunosensor", Proc. SPIE 1648, Fiber Optic Medical and Fluorescent Sensors and Applications, (16 April 1992); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.58302

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE