Recent developments in optical biosensors based on integrated photonic devices are reviewed with a special emphasis on silicon-on-insulator ring resonators. The review is mainly devoted to the following aspects: (1) Principles of sensing mechanism, (2) sensor design, (3) biofunctionalization procedures for specific molecule detection and (4) system integration and measurement set-ups. The inherent challenges of implementing photonics-based biosensors to meet specific requirements of applications in medicine, food analysis, and environmental monitoring are discussed.

No abstract

This Letter reports on the quadratic electro-optic effect of polymers, observed in a silicon slot-waveguide at low voltages. We demonstrate that in narrow slots, the electro-optic response with respect to refractive index change is strong enough for on-chip wavelength tuning and intensity modulation using voltages as low as 1 V. A silicon slot-waveguide embedded by a nonlinear optical polymer, consisting of the dye Disperse Red 1 in poly(methyl methacrylate), serves as the phase shifter in a racetrack ring resonator. As deduced from the experimental data, the third-order susceptibility of the utilized electro-optic polymer is about 2·10 m/V. The demonstrated low-voltage operation and inherently thermal stability show the potential for silicon-organic hybrid devices using the quadratic electro-optic effect.

No abstract