Integrated Optical Waveguide Sensors

描述(由申请人提供)：该项目的目标是开发用于生物医学应用的新型集成光学传感器。这些传感器将基于反谐振反射光波导(箭头)，允许光在被半导体包围的低折射率(液体或气体)层中传播和引导。基于这一原则，将建造与光纤技术兼容的高度集成的仪器，特别是避免涉及显微镜和低效光耦合的三维庞大光学装置。这种方法有几个关键的优点，最显著的是更高的灵敏度，更低的耦合损耗，以及由于波导结构的平面性而有可能实现大规模并行器件。这种低折射率波导的具体应用包括从单个DNA分子进行荧光检测、高效低体积流式细胞术，以及对含有生物分子或气体的液体进行灵敏的吸收测量。该项目对人类健康的影响范围从提高对DNA的基本了解到更灵敏地检测液体或气相中的潜在有害物质。这项探索性拨款的具体目的是首次演示非固体(液体或气体)芯的低折射率光波导中的光引导，并制造适用于荧光测量的第一代光学平台。研究将涵盖以下三个领域：理论与模拟、微制造和光学测试。理论工作将包括设计合适的箭头波导结构和计算这些波导中荧光的探测效率。微制造工作将涉及介质多层结构的生长和质量控制，以及充满液体或气体的低折射率通道的制造。最后，原型将用光学光谱学进行测试，以确保与模拟的一致性，并测试制造技术的健壮性。将对生物样品进行荧光测量，如单个DNA分子，以展示这一集成平台在生物医学仪器中的潜力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of this project is the development of novel integrated optical sensors for biomedical applications. These sensors will be based on anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguides (ARROW) that allow for light propagation and guiding in low-index (liquid or gas) layers surrounded by semiconductors. Based on this principle, highly integrated instruments will be built that are compatible with fiber optic technologies and specifically avoid bulky optical setups in three dimensions involving microscopes and inefficient light coupling. This approach has several key advantages, most notably higher sensitivity, lower coupling losses and the potential for massively parallel devices due to the planar nature of the waveguide structures. Specific applications of such low-index waveguides can include fluorescence detection from single DNA molecules, highly-efficient low-volume flow cytometry, and sensitive absorption measurements of liquids containing biomolecules or gases. The implications to human health of this project range from improving fundamental understanding of DNA to more sensitive detection of potentially harmful substances in the liquid or gas phase. The specific aims of this exploratory grant are to provide the first demonstration of light guiding in low-index optical waveguides with non-solid (liquid or gas) cores and the fabrication of a first generation optical platform suitable for fluorescence measurements. The research will cover the following three areas: theory and simulation, microfabrication, and optical testing. Theoretical work will include the design of suitable ARROW waveguide structures and the calculation of detection efficiency for fluorescence in these waveguides. Microfabrication efforts will address growth and quality control of dielectric multilayer structures and fabrication of low-index channels filled with liquid or gas. Finally, prototypes will be tested with optical spectroscopy to ensure agreement with simulations and to test the robustness of the fabrication techniques. Fluorescence measurements on biological samples such as single DNA molecules will be carried out to demonstrate the potential of this integrated platform for biomedical instruments.