Experimental characterization of a silicon photonic biosensor consisting of two cascaded ring resonators based on the Vernier-effect and introduction of a curve fitting method for an improved detection limit

Abstract

Abstract:We studied a refractive index sensor that consists of two cascaded ring resonators and that works analogously to a Vernier-scale. We implemented it in silicon-on-insulator and experimentally determined its sensitivity to be as high as 2169nm/RIU in aqueous environment. We derived formulas describing the sensor's operation, and introduced a fitting procedure that allows to accurately detect changes in the sensor response. We determined the detection limit of this first prototype to be 8.3 10 −6 RIU. (dimethyl) siloxane (pdms) and glass under oxygen-plasma treatment and correlation with bond strength," IEEE J.

Picosecond optically reconfigurable filters exploiting full free spectral range tuning of single ring and Vernier effect resonators

“…Vernier resonators operating in the second regime are one widely investigated option, e.g. in sensing [33][34][35][36]. Towards telecommunication applications, the tuning of Vernier resonators working in the first regime of the Vernier effect has been demonstrated based on the thermo-optic effect [36][37][38][39][40] and by carrier injection [41].…”

“…Tuning the resonance wavelengths of one resonator does not shift the individual transmission peaks, as would be the case for the individual ring resonator. Instead, the envelope is shifted as also occurs in Vernier devices employed for sensing purposes [34,35], where only one of the two cascaded ring resonators is exposed to the analyte to be sensed and undergoes a localized refractive index perturbation. In comparison to a single ring resonator, modulating a Vernier system mitigates negative effects on the Q-factor, as one resonator always remains unaffected.…”

Microring resonator refractive index sensor with integrated spectrometer

“…When the FSR of the ring is the same as the AWG channel spacing, the output collected will be the same for all channels. But when we introduce the Vernier factor [3], we will obtain a well defined envelope over the channels of the AWG. We use a Vernier factor of m/m − 1, but it is also possible to use m/m − 2, ...…”

Chemical Sensors Based on Photonic Structures

“…To this purpose, very interesting results have been demonstrated by using a silicon photonic biosensor whom architecture is the same as that sketched in Fig. 23 (Claes et al, 2010). The sensor has been tested with three aqueous solutions of NaCl with different concentrations and the operative wavelength range is from 1.52 m to 1.54 m. A sensitivity of 2169 nm/RIU has been experimentally determined in aqueous environment.…”