Integrated Bimodal Waveguide Interferometric Biosensor for Label-Free Analysis

Abstract

The performance of an interferometric device based on integrated Bimodal Waveguides (BiMW) for sensing is demonstrated. The sensors are fabricated using standard silicon technology and can achieve a detection limit of 2.5·10 -7 RIU for homogeneous sensing, rendering in a very high sensitive device. The applicability of the bimodal waveguide interferometer as label-free biosensor has been demonstrated by the real-time monitoring of the biomolecular interaction of BSA and anti-BSA. Due to their simplicity, the interferometric devices could be further integrated in complete lab-on-a-chip platforms for point-of-care diagnostics showing them as a powerful instrument for biochemical analysis.

Photonic Integration: New Applications Are Visible

“…The most veteran ones are CNM in Spain [2] and LioniX International in the Netherlands with their TriPleX patented technology [3], offering such processes since more than a decade already. Additional foundries, like IMEC in Belgium [4] or Ligentec in Switzerland [5], are also starting to explore visible applications too, but maybe the most interesting development in recent times is the European pilot line PIX4life (cf.…”

Single waveguide silicon-organic hybrid modulator

“…by laterally shifted tapers (Hoppe et al, 2017a) as depicted in Fig. 1b, by lateral shifted waveguides (Liu et al, 2014), by waveguide steps (Zinoviev et al, 2011), by waveguide gratings (Bruck and Hainberger, 2014) or even simpler by a lateral shift of the external fibers with respect to the center of the grating couplers. Using the last approach, at a special fiber position, the first and second order modes are excited in the following dual-mode waveguide with the same power resulting in a balanced excitation (Hoppe et al, 2015).…”

“…Whereas the MZM is an established element based on two waveguide arms, the modulator design can be simplified with the help of a dual-mode or bimodal interferometer (DMI), which is presented e.g. in (Zinoviev et al, 2011;Liu et al, 2014;Hoppe et al, 2017a). Using only one dual-mode waveguide, the novel design is a promising candidate to offer simplified, compact, parallelizable, broadband and thermal stable silicon modulators.…”

Analysis and investigations of differential interferometer based on a polymer optical bimodal waveguide

“…Particularly noteworthy are differential interferometers using a two-mode optical waveguide [2][3][4][5], which in some cases provide greater sensitivity than single-mode waveguides [6]. They operate utilizing the interference of two modes of different orders in the exemplary types of structures: spiral-type waveguides [7], silicon nanowire ridge waveguides (SNRW) [8], composite bimodal waveguides [9].…”