In this work, we report all-silicon, integrated optofluidic microsystems (OFMs) fabricated by electrochemical micromachining (ECM) technology, in which high aspect-ratio (HAR) photonic crystal (PhC) devices (i.e. micromirrors, optical cavities) are integrated by one-etching-step, together with microfluidic reservoirs/channels, for the infiltration of liquids in the PhC air gaps, and with fiber grooves for alignment/positioning of readout optical fibers in front of the PhC, on the same silicon die. This has not previously been reported in the literature, and opens up new ground in, though not limited to, the optofluidics field, due to the low-cost and high-flexibility of the ECM technology that allows optofluidic microsystem fabrication to be performed in any lab. Optofluidic characterization of PhC-OFMs by both capillary-action and pressure-driven operations is carried out through the measurement of the reflectivity spectra of HAR-PhCs upon injection of liquids featuring different refractive index values in the HAR-PhC air gaps, by using readout optical fibers positioned in the on-chip fiber grooves. High sensitivity and good limit of detection of PhC-OFMs are obtained for both capillary-action and pressure-driven operations. A best sensitivity value of 670 nm/RIU and a worst-case limit of detection of the order of 10(-3) RIU are measured, the former being comparable to state-of-the-art integrated refractive index sensors and the latter being limited by constraints of the experimental setup. The proof of concept about the biosensing potential of PhC-OFMs is given by successfully carrying out a sandwich assay based on antigen-antibody interactions for the detection of the C-reactive protein (CRP) at a concentration value of 10 mg L(-1), which represents the boundary level between physiological and pathological conditions.

In this work, we advance the state-of-the-art knowledge on photonic crystals by demonstrating the\ud effective and reliable operation of vertical one-dimensional photonic crystals by capillarity,\ud i.e. without the use of external pumps, for self-powered refractometry and label-free (bio)sensing applications. As a\ud proof-of-concept, an all-silicon self-powered drop-and-measure platform exploiting a vertical one-\ud dimensional photonic crystal as a sensing element is fabricated and tested by the capillary infiltration of\ud both ethanol–water mixtures (used as the benchmark for refractometry) and Bovine Serum Albumin\ud (BSA) aqueous solutions at different BSA concentrations (used as the benchmark for biosensing).\ud Excellent analytical performance is achieved for both refractometry and biosensing, in terms of\ud reproducibility and linearity, as well as sensitivity and limit of detection, thus paving the way towards a\ud novel class of self-powered drop-and-measure platforms for chemical/biochemical point-of-care\ud analysis by exploiting the photonic crystals operating under capillary action as label-free transducers

An all-silicon optical platform (SiOP) that integrates a linear array of vertical (100-μm–deep) one-dimensional photonic crystals (1D-PhCs), with a different number of elementary silicon/air cells (from 2.5 to 11.5) and featuring a transmission peak around 1.55 μm, together with U-grooves (125-μm-wide) and end-stop-spacers for coupling/positioning/alignment of readout optical fibers in front of 1D-PhCs is reported. The SiOP is fabricated by electrochemical micromachining and characterized by measuring both reflection and transmission spectra of 1D-PhCs. An experimental/theoretical analysis of 1D-PhC features (transmissivity, quality factor, full-width-half-maximum) in transmission, around 1.55 μm, as a function of the number of elementary cells is reported.

In this work, fabrication and testing of an optofluidic microsystem exploiting high aspect-ratio, vertical, silicon/air one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystals (PhC) are reported. The microsystem is composed of an electrochemically micromachined silicon substrate integrating a 1D PhC featuring high-order bandgaps in the near-infrared region, bonded to a glass cover provided with inlet/outlet holes for liquid injection/extraction in/out the PhC-itself. Wavelength shifts of the reflectivity spectrum of the photonic crystal, in the range 1.0-1.7 lm, induced by flow of different liquids through the PhC air gaps are successfully measured using an in-plane all-fibre setup, thanks to the PhC high aspect-ratio value. Experimental results well agree with theoretical predictions and highlight the good linearity and high sensitivity of such an optofluidic microsystem in measuring refractive index changes. The sensitivity value is estimated to be 1,049 nm/RIU around 1.55 lm, which is among the highest reported in the literature for integrated refractive index sensors, and explained in terms of enhanced interaction between light and liquid within the PhC.