On-chip interrogation of a silicon-on-insulator microring resonator-based ethanol vapor sensor with an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) spectrometer

Nebiyu A. Yebo; Wim Bogaerts; Zeger Hens; Roel Baets

doi:10.1117/12.907301

1 February 2012 On-chip interrogation of a silicon-on-insulator microring resonator-based ethanol vapor sensor with an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) spectrometer

Nebiyu A. Yebo, Wim Bogaerts, Zeger Hens, Roel Baets

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8264, Integrated Optics: Devices, Materials, and Technologies XVI; 82640P (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.907301
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2012, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Silicon -on -insulator (SOI) optical microring resonators fabricated with the standard CMOS fabrication technology have recently gained considerable attention for energy efficient, compact and low cost biomedical and environmental sensing applications. High sensitivity to the surrounding refractive index variations, high compactness, direct wavelength multiplexing capabilities, simplicity, and the promise for mass fabrication are among the interesting features supported by SOI microring resonators. On the other hand, despite the strong case for microring resonators for sensing, there exist some issues which need to be addressed in order to ensure the feasibility of such sensors. One major limitation currently is the cost of optical sources and /or spectrum analyzers required to drive and interrogate these sensors. Either expensive light sources or spectrum analyzers are usually used with sensors built around microring resonators. An attractive approach to address this problem is the use of on-chip spectrometers along with cheap broadband light sources. We experimentally demonstrate on-chip interrogation of an SOI microring resonator based gas sensor with a compact Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG) spectrometer. We have designed and fabricated a 200GHz AWG with strongly overlapping output channels, and used it to interrogate the wavelength shift from a ring resonator based ethanol vapor sensor on the same chip. Ethanol vapor concentrations in 100-1000ppm range are readily detected by monitoring the intensity ratio between two adjacent AWG channels to which the microring resonance overlaps. Such an integrated sensor-interrogator approach is presented as an alternative to the current costly and off-chip read-out systems used for ring resonator based sensors.

Citation Download Citation

Nebiyu A. Yebo, Wim Bogaerts, Zeger Hens, and Roel Baets "On-chip interrogation of a silicon-on-insulator microring resonator-based ethanol vapor sensor with an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) spectrometer", Proc. SPIE 8264, Integrated Optics: Devices, Materials, and Technologies XVI, 82640P (1 February 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.907301

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available