Collaborative Research: PIC: Slow Wave Enhanced Electrooptically Tuned Michelson Interferometer Biosensor for On-Chip Dual Polarization Interferometry

2020年的COVID大流行表明，全球需要对各种病原体进行低成本、高灵敏度、快速的诊断检测。虽然硅光子学能够以极高的灵敏度实现这种高度多路复用的无标签传感能力，但仍然缺少手持式低成本硅纳米光子传感器。制造缺陷使得光子传感器难以用固定波长的激光器和单个检测器实现。光子测量变异性也来自纳米光子柱和沟槽中的绑定不确定性。该提案中的基本工作采用了一种新颖的片上双偏振干涉技术，该技术将减少光子测量的可变性，以及新颖的电路实现，以实现电驱动和电读出的低成本片上纳米光子传感器。该器件的工作原理以及克服制造和测量局限性的器件电路实现方式以前尚未得到证明。在300毫米CMOS代工厂，即AIM光子学，与单片集成的无源和有源电偏置光子元件的国家的最先进的光子器件制造能力将在这个项目中使用。该项目将涉及来自代顿大学和北德克萨斯大学的光学、工程、材料科学和物理学专业的学生，他们不仅将学习尖端的STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）研究，还将学习计算机辅助布局设计，用于下一代共集成电子光子器件的铸造制造。该项目还与来自代顿早期学院学院的学生和教师以及俄亥俄州大代顿和德克萨斯州丹顿地区的其他初中和高中学生合作。本项目的主要技术目标是：（a）在芯片上演示慢光增强干涉测量原理;（B）研究新型硅基薄膜电光移相器;（b）研究新型硅基薄膜电光移相器;（c）展示芯片上时间双偏振干涉测量法;以及（d）展示在具有电驱动和电读出的紧凑封装中操作的前所未有的制造容忍硅纳米光子传感器。该计划将使学生接触到跨学科的研究，包括光刻，光子学，电子工程，物理学，生物化学和材料科学。该项目将最终开发一个USB供电的手持光学生物传感器套件。项目成员将在俄亥俄州大代顿县和德克萨斯州大丹顿县开展针对中学生的科学和技术推广活动。项目活动将扩大少数民族学生对STEM教育和培训的参与。学生将接触到一个创新的生态系统与实践的科学和技术经验。最后，该项目将有助于解决目前在半导体芯片设计和制造方面建立美国人力资源的重大需求。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The COVID pandemic of 2020 demonstrated the worldwide need for low-cost, highly sensitive, rapiddiagnostic testing of diverse pathogens. While silicon photonics enables such a highly multiplexed labelfreesensing capability with extremely high sensitivities, a handheld low-cost silicon nanophotonic sensoris still missing. Fabrication imperfections have made photonic sensor implementations difficult with a fixedwavelength laser and a single detector. Photonic measurement variabilities also arise from bindinguncertainties in nanophotonic pillars and trenches. The fundamental work in this proposal employs a novelon-chip dual polarization interferometry technique that will reduce photonic measurement variability, andnovel circuit implementations to enable electrically driven and electrically readout low-cost on-chipnanophotonic sensors. The working principle of the device, and circuit implementations of the device toovercome fabrication and measurement limitations have not been previously demonstrated. The state-ofthe-art photonic device fabrication capabilities at a 300 mm CMOS foundry, namely AIM Photonics, withmonolithically integrated passive and active electrically biased photonic components will be employed inthis project. The project will involve students in optics, engineering, materials science, and physics fromthe University of Dayton and the University of North Texas who will not only learn about cutting-edgeSTEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) research but also in computer aided designlayouts for foundry fabrication of next-generation co-integrated electronic-photonic devices. The projectwill also work with students and faculty in microbiology from the Dayton Early College Academy, andother middle and high school students in the greater Dayton, OH and Denton, TX areas. The handheldsensors will find applications in various domains of biological sensing for cancer diagnostics, infectiousdisease and opioid diagnostics, and environmental pollution monitoring as also in new drug discovery.The technical goals of this project will (a) demonstrate the principle of slow light enhanced interferometryon-chip; (b) investigate novel thin-film electro-optic phase shifters on silicon chip; (c) demonstrate on-chipreal time dual polarization interferometry; and (d) demonstrate an unprecedented fabrication tolerant siliconnanophotonic sensor operating in a compact package with electrical drive and electrical readout. Theprogram will expose students to interdisciplinary research encompassing lithography, photonics, electricalengineering, physics, biochemistry, and materials science. The project will culminate with the developmentof a USB-powered handheld optical biosensor kit. Project members will engage in science and technologyoutreach targeting middle and high school students in greater Dayton, OH and greater Denton, TX counties.Project activities will outreach to broaden the participation of minority students in STEM education andtraining. Students will be exposed to an innovation ecosystem with hands-on science and technologyexperience. Finally, the project will help to address the significant current need to build US-basedmanpower in the design and manufacturing of semiconductor chips.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.