Demonstration of a liquid core optical ring resonator sensor coupled with an ARROW waveguide array

Ian M. White; Hesam Oveys; Xudong Fan; Terry L. Smith; Junying Zhang

doi:10.1117/12.698453

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9 February 2007 Demonstration of a liquid core optical ring resonator sensor coupled with an ARROW waveguide array

Ian M. White, Hesam Oveys, Xudong Fan, Terry L. Smith, Junying Zhang

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Proceedings Volume 6475, Integrated Optics: Devices, Materials, and Technologies XI; 647505 (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.698453
Event: Integrated Optoelectronic Devices 2007, 2007, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

The liquid core optical ring resonator (LCORR) sensor is a newly developed capillary-based ring resonator that integrates microfluidics with photonic sensing technology. The circular cross-section of the capillary forms a ring resonator that supports whispering gallery modes (WGM). The WGM evanescent field is exposed to the capillary core and detects the aqueous samples conducted by the capillary using a label-free protocol. The high-Q of the WGM allows for repetitive light-analyte interaction, resulting in excellent sensitivity. Recently a detection limit of the LCORR on the order of 10^-6 refractive index units was reported. In this work, we have further integrated the LCORR with an anti-resonant reflective optical waveguide (ARROW) array for multiplexed sensor development. The ARROW, with an array of 8 waveguides separated by 250 microns each, consists of a core and a lower reflective double-layer with alternating high and low refractive index, and thus has a significant evanescent field above the waveguide. The WGM is excited at each LCORR/ARROW junction simultaneously when the LCORR is brought into contact with the ARROW array. We experimentally investigated the optimal waveguide geometry for WGM excitation using a range of waveguide heights from 2 to 5 microns. Furthermore, the LCORR/ARROW system is utilized for a biomolecule sensing demonstration. The LCORR/ARROW system is not only essential for assembling a robust, practical, and densely multiplexed sensor array, but also enables on-capillary flow analysis that has broad applications in capillary electrophoresis, chromatography, and lab-on-a-chip development.

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Ian M. White, Hesam Oveys, Xudong Fan, Terry L. Smith, and Junying Zhang "Demonstration of a liquid core optical ring resonator sensor coupled with an ARROW waveguide array", Proc. SPIE 6475, Integrated Optics: Devices, Materials, and Technologies XI, 647505 (9 February 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.698453

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