Dan-feng Lu

Fiber optofluidic biosensor for the label-free detection of DNA hybridization and methylation based on an in-line tunable mode coupler

An optical fiber optofluidic biosensor for the detection of DNA hybridization and methylation has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated. An in-line fiber Michelson interferometer was formed in the photonic crystal fiber. A micrhole in the collapsed region, which combined the tunable mode coupler and optofluidic channel, was fabricated by using femtosecond laser micromachining. The mode field diameter of the guided light is changed with the refractive index in the optofluidic channel, which results in the tunable coupling ratio. Label-free detections of the DNA hybridization and methylation have been experimentally demonstrated. The probe single stranded DNA (ssDNA) was bound with the surface of the optofluidic channel through the Poly-l-lysine layer, and the hybridization between a short 22-mer probe ssDNA and a complementary target ssDNA was carried out and detected by interrogating the fringe visibility of the reflection spectrum. Then, the DNA methylation was also detected through the binding between the methylated DNA and the 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) monoclonal antibody. The experiments results demonstrate that the limit of detection of 5nM is achieved, establishing the tunable mode coupler as a sensitive and versatile biosensor. The sensitive optical fiber optofluidic biosensor possesses high specificity and low temperature cross-sensitivity.

Depth distribution of the strain in the GaN layer with low-temperature AlN interlayer on Si(111) substrate studied by Rutherford backscattering/channeling

The depth distribution of the strain-related tetragonal distortion e(T) in the GaN epilayer with low-temperature AlN interlayer (LT-AlN IL) on Si(111) substrate is investigated by Rutherford backscattering and channeling. The samples with the LT-AlN IL of 8 and 16 nm thickness are studied, which are also compared with the sample without the LT-AlN IL. For the sample with 16-nm-thick LT-AlN IL, it is found that there exists a step-down of e(T) of about 0.1% in the strain distribution. Meanwhile, the angular scan around the normal GaN axis shows a tilt difference about 0.01degrees between the two parts of GaN separated by the LT-AlN IL, which means that these two GaN layers are partially decoupled by the AlN interlayer. However, for the sample with 8-nm-thick LT-AlN IL, neither step-down of e(T) nor the decoupling phenomenon is found. The 0.01degrees decoupled angle in the sample with 16-nm-thick LT-AlN IL confirms the relaxation of the LT-AlN IL. Thus the step-down of e(T) should result from the compressive strain compensation brought by the relaxed AlN interlayer. It is concluded that the strain compensation effect will occur only when the thickness of the LT-AlN IL is beyond a critical thickness

Miniature Fourier transform spectrometer based on wavelength dependence of half-wave voltage of a LiNbO 3 waveguide interferometer

A simple and reliable spectrum-retrieval method was proposed for the development of miniature stationary Fourier transform (FT) spectrometers based on a LiNbO₃ (LN) waveguide Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) modulator. The method takes into account the wavelength dependence of the optical pathlength difference (OPD) and allows us to use a nonlinear voltage ramp to modulate the OPD. The method is based on the dispersion of the half-wave voltage, which was measured to be a monotonous polynomial function of the wavelength for the LN waveguide MZI used. With the measured dispersion of the half-wave voltage, the OPD, as a linear function of the modulating voltage, can be accurately determined at each wavelength in the near-infrared region in which the MZI used is a single-mode device. A prototype FT spectrometer was prepared using a LN waveguide MZI modulator based on the above method. The experimental results demonstrated that the spectrometer can be used for accurate determination of the laser wavelength and for liquid absorptiometry.

Optical Displacement Sensor in a Capillary Covered Hollow Core Fiber Based on Anti-Resonant Reflecting Guidance

A capillary covered silica hollow core fiber (HCF) has been designed and tested for the measurement of displacement based on antiresonant reflecting optical waveguide. A section of the silica HCF was inserted into a silver coated capillary. A Fabry-Perot resonator can be formed in the silica cladding. The leaky mode of the guided light can be achieved at resonant wavelengths of the Fabry-Perot resonator, which results in lossy dips in the transmission spectrum. The transmission power of the dip is sensitive with the displacement of the capillary since the effective reflectivity of the Fabry-Perot resonator is affected by the location between the capillary and the silica HCF. The experimental results show that the sensitivity of up to 0.578 dB/μm is achieved, and the proposed sensor is insensitive with the temperature.

Magnetic Fluid-Infiltrated Anti-Resonant Reflecting Optical Waveguide for Magnetic Field Sensing Based on Leaky Modes

A magnetic fluid (MF)-infiltrated antiresonant reflecting optical waveguide has been fabricated for the magnetic field sensing based on resonant leaky modes. In a hollow core photonic crystal fiber, the MF is selectively infiltrated into one hollow hole in the air cladding. A Fabry-Perot resonator can be formed between the MF and the silica cladding. Both the resonant condition and the reflectivity of the Fabry-Perot resonator are changed under different magnetic field, which can be measured through the wavelength shift and transmission power at the dip wavelength. The sensitivities of up to 109 pm/Oe and 0.064 dB/Oe are achieved for methods of wavelength shift and transmission power at the dip wavelength. The antiresonant reflecting optical waveguides are widely used for the accurate measurement of magnetic field in the fields of transportation, medicine, smart grids, and so on.

In situ study of self-assembled nanocomposite films by spectral SPR sensor.

Spectral surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor with a time-resolved charge-coupled device (CCD) detector is a powerful analytical tool for label-free detection of biomolecular interaction at the liquid/solid interface and for in situ study of molecular adsorption behavior. In this work, the layer-by-layer self-assembly processes for three nanocomposite films were monitored in real time using a broadband spectral SPR sensor with a large dynamic range. Kinetics studies suggest that cytochrome c (Cyt c) and deoxy ribonucleic acid (DNA) adsorptions obey the Langmuir-isotherm theory, while gold nanoparticle (GNP) adsorption follows the Diffusion-controlled model. Using poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) and poly(dimethyldiallylammonium chloride) (PDDA) as the positively charged agents, three kinds of multilayer films such as the PSS/Cyt c, GNP/Cyt c and PDDA/DNA binary nanocomposites were fabricated on the SPR chips by the electrostatic attraction based on self-assemble. The SPR response in terms of ΔλR was measured to linear increase with increasing the number of layers for a six-bilayer PSS/Cyt c nanocomposite film, indicating that every PSS/Cyt c layer has equal mass coverage. In contrast, the nonlinear dependences of ΔλR on the number of bilayers were observed for the GNP/Cyt c and PDDA/DNA nanocomposite multilayer films.

Surface Raman spectroscopy with and without reverse Kretschmann configuration: Effect of evanescent-wave-coupled emission

Evanescent-wave-coupled emission has been used for reverse Kretschmann fluorescence and Raman spectroscopies with high collection efficiency. However, it has a negative effect on the common surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy without the reverse Kretschmann configuration because the coupling of a large fraction of light power into the substrate impairs the Raman signal backscattered in air. A rough core layer can significantly weaken evanescent-wave-coupled emission, which is conducive to enhancing the backscattered Raman signal. In this work, we theoretically investigate the surface-plasmon-coupled emission and its effects on surface Raman spectroscopy.

A Modified Equation for the Spectral Resolution of Fourier Transform Spectrometers

The spectral resolution of a Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) is traditionally expressed as Δν = 0.5/δ_max in which ν is the wavenumber and δ_max is the maximum optical pathlength difference (OPD). This equation is valid for the moving mirror-based FTS whose OPD is independent of wavelength but inapplicable to the FTS with wavelength-dependent OPD. In this paper, by taking into account the wavelength dependence of OPD, the spectral resolution equation was modified as Δν = 0.5/[δ_max + (dδ_max/dν)ν] to make it applicable to both the OPD-dispersive and OPD-nondispersive FTS devices. A prototype stationary FTS was prepared using a LiNbO₃ waveguide Mach-Zehnder interferometer with push-pull electrodes, and its spectral resolutions at different wavelengths were experimentally and theoretically investigated. The excellent agreement between the theoretical and experimental data demonstrates the applicability of the modified equation for accurate evaluation of FTS resolution.

Kinetics of Competitive Adsorption of β-Casein and Methylene Blue on Hydrophilic Glass

The competitive adsorption of methylene blue (MB) and β-casein on hydrophilic glass from an aqueous mixed solution was directly detected at the solution pH smaller than the protein isoelectric point (pI) by means of the waveguide-based broadband time-resolved evanescent wave absorption spectroscopy. The competitive adsorption causes the MB coverage to exponentially decrease with time from its peak value and prevents MB aggregation at the interface. The kinetic equation for the competitive adsorption of binary adsorbates was theoretically deduced based on the Langmuir model, and was used for creating the best fit to the experimental data. In the case of a fixed concentration of MB in the mixed solution, the best-fit parameter τ(-1) increases with the protein concentration at a specific pH and decreases with the solution pH at a given concentration of protein. The findings suggest that the β-casein concentration in sub-μM level can be rapidly determined by the time-resolved waveguide absorptiometry based on the competitive adsorption of MB and protein.

Miniaturized Optical System for Detection of Ammonia Nitrogen in Water Based on Gas-Phase Colorimetry

A small-size gas-tight optical measuring system for detection of ammonia nitrogen in water was prepared based on gas-phase ammonia induced color change of the sensing element that was made by loading bromothymol blue (BTB) in a transparent porous glass fiber membrane. The gas-tight optical measuring system consists of a gas-testing and a liquid-sample chamber connected with each other by means of tubes and a mini-pump that cycles the gas between the two chambers. A 625-nm light emitting diode (LED), a photodetector and a sensing element were mounted in the gas-testing chamber for optical response to ammonia gas released from the water in the liquid-sample chamber. Release of ammonia gas was realized by alkalinizing the water sample with NaOH. Owing to the amount accumulation of ammonia gas in the sealing system, the ammonia nitrogen detection limit of the device can be very low. A small concentration of ammonia nitrogen, as low as 0.05 mg/L, was detected. The two linear-response ranges from 0.05 mg/L to 0.26 mg/L and from 0.26 mg/L to 2.62 mg/L were obtained. A relative standard deviation of ≤1% was determined by multiple measurements of the same sample.