Mark G. Scullion

Slotted photonic crystal cavities with integrated microfluidics for biosensing applications

We demonstrate the detection of dissolved avidin concentrations as low as 15 nM or 1 μg/ml using functionalized slotted photonic crystal cavities with integrated microfluidics. With a cavity sensing surface area of approximately 2.2 μm(2), we are able to detect surface mass densities of order 60 pg/mm(2) corresponding to a bound mass of approximately 100 ag. The ultra-compact size of the sensors makes them attractive for lab-on-a-chip applications where high densities of independent sensing elements are desired within a small area. The high sensitivity over an extremely small area is due to the strong modal overlap with the analyte enabled by the slotted waveguide cavity geometry that we employ. This strong overlap results in larger shifts in the cavity peak wavelength when compared to competing approaches.

Slotted Photonic Crystal Sensors

Optical biosensors are increasingly being considered for lab-on-a-chip applications due to their benefits such as small size, biocompatibility, passive behaviour and lack of the need for fluorescent labels. The light guiding mechanisms used by many of them results in poor overlap of the optical field with the target molecules, reducing the maximum sensitivity achievable. This review article presents a new platform for optical biosensors, namely slotted photonic crystals, which provide higher sensitivities due to their ability to confine, spatially and temporally, the optical mode peak within the analyte itself. Loss measurements showed values comparable to standard photonic crystals, confirming their ability to be used in real devices. A novel resonant coupler was designed, simulated, and experimentally tested, and was found to perform better than other solutions within the literature. Combining with cavities, microfluidics and biological functionalization allowed proof-of-principle demonstrations of protein binding to be carried out. Higher sensitivities were observed in smaller structures than possible with most competing devices reported in the literature. This body of work presents slotted photonic crystals as a realistic platform for complete on-chip biosensing; addressing key design, performance and application issues, whilst also opening up exciting new ideas for future study.

Dual gratings for enhanced light trapping in thin-film solar cells by a layer-transfer technique

Thin film solar cells benefit significantly from the enhanced light trapping offered by photonic nanostructures. The thin film is typically patterned on one side only due to technological constraints. The ability to independently pattern both sides of the thin film increases the degrees of freedom available to the designer, as different functions can be combined, such as the reduction of surface reflection and the excitation of quasiguided modes for enhanced light absorption. Here, we demonstrate a technique based on simple layer transfer that allows us to independently pattern both sides of the thin film leading to enhanced light trapping. We used a 400 nm thin film of amorphous hydrogenated silicon and two simple 2D gratings for this proof-of-principle demonstration. Since the technique imposes no restrictions on the design parameters, any type of structure can be made.

High Efficiency Interface for Coupling Into Slotted Photonic Crystal Waveguides

We investigate the mechanism of coupling light into slotted photonic crystal waveguides. We identify two alternative approaches for improving the coupling efficiency, based on engineered mode dispersion and on resonant mechanisms. For the optimized geometry, we calculate a loss figure of 0.3 dB over 100-nm bandwidth per interface and demonstrate a corresponding experimental value of 1.5 dB over 78-nm bandwidth per interface.

Enhancement of optical forces using slow light in a photonic crystal waveguide

The paradigm of slow light in photonic crystal waveguides has already led to startling advances in nonlinear interactions and optical switching. Importantly, as slow light implies a highly reduced group velocity, this also leads to an original route for the enhancement of optical forces by appropriate tuning of the waveguide properties. Here, we demonstrate the use of slow light to enhance the guiding of submicrometer dielectric particles on a photonic crystal waveguide. Studies are based on a range of particle sizes, and we observe a four-fold enhancement in guiding velocity simply by changing the wavelength of the exciting laser within the slow light region. The particle velocity is therefore seen to be dependent upon the group velocity of light in the waveguide in agreement with force simulations. Finally, the enhancement of the lateral trap stiffness transverse to the waveguide axis further confirms the benefit of slow light for particle manipulation.

The electrophotonic silicon biosensor

The emergence of personalized and stratified medicine requires label-free, low-cost diagnostic technology capable of monitoring multiple disease biomarkers in parallel. Silicon photonic biosensors combine high-sensitivity analysis with scalable, low-cost manufacturing, but they tend to measure only a single biomarker and provide no information about their (bio)chemical activity. Here we introduce an electrochemical silicon photonic sensor capable of highly sensitive and multiparameter profiling of biomarkers. Our electrophotonic technology consists of microring resonators optimally n-doped to support high Q resonances alongside electrochemical processes in situ. The inclusion of electrochemical control enables site-selective immobilization of different biomolecules on individual microrings within a sensor array. The combination of photonic and electrochemical characterization also provides additional quantitative information and unique insight into chemical reactivity that is unavailable with photonic detection alone. By exploiting both the photonic and the electrical properties of silicon, the sensor opens new modalities for sensing on the microscale.

Spatial Resolution and Refractive Index Contrast of Resonant Photonic Crystal Surfaces for Biosensing

By depositing a resolution test pattern on top of a Si3N4 photonic crystal resonant surface, we have measured the dependence of spatial resolution on refractive index contrast Δn. Our experimental results and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations at different refractive index contrasts show that the spatial resolution of our device reduces with reduced contrast, which is an important consideration in biosensing, where the contrast may be of order 10-2. We also compare 1-D and 2-D gratings, taking into account different incidence polarizations, leading to a better understanding of the excitation and propagation of the resonant modes in these structures, as well as how this contributes to the spatial resolution. At Δn 0.077, we observe resolutions of 2 and 6 μm parallel to and perpendicular to the grooves of a 1-D grating, respectively, and show that for polarized illumination of a 2-D grating, resolution remains asymmetrical. Illumination of a 2-D grating at 450 results in symmetric resolution. At very low index contrast, the resolution worsens dramatically, particularly for Δn <; 0.01, where we observe a resolution exceeding 10 μm for our device. In addition, we measure a reduction in the resonance linewidth as the index contrast becomes lower, corresponding to a longer resonant mode propagation length in the structure and contributing to the change in spatial resolution.

Contra-directional coupling into slotted photonic crystals for spectrometric applications

We propose and demonstrate the concept of a contra-directional coupler between a W1 and a slotted photonic crystal waveguide. The bandwidth and operating wavelength of such a coupler can be controlled via its geometrical parameters, and power transfer is not periodic unlike in the more familiar codirectional case. Light of specific wavelengths can be extracted from the W1 mode into air slot modes using this design, with W1/slot coupling efficiencies of up to 99±1%, and waveguide extracted coupling efficiencies of up to 51±12% demonstrated experimentally. Combining several of these couplers in series, we demonstrate the spectral filtering functionality on-chip. The device therefore combines the well-known sensing function of the slotted waveguide geometry with the spectrometer function, thus uniting two essential biosensor functions in a monolithic device.

Slotted photonic crystals for biosensing applications

We discuss the properties and potential of slotted photonic crystals devices as small optical, label-free biosensors. This approach combines slot waveguides, which guide light in a narrow air slot, with photonic crystals in which cavities and slow light behaviour can be engineered. We use cavities based upon the heterostructure approach, demonstrating experimental quality factors of up to 50,000 in air and 4,000 in water. As the peak of the cavity mode interacts with the contents of the slot, small changes in refractive index can be inferred from the cavity resonant wavelength with high sensitivity (~500 nm/RIU). We also integrate microfluidic channels, which when combined with the small footprint of each sensor, allows potential for dense multiplexing with only micro-litres of analyte. As the dispersive properties of the fundamental mode of a standard and slotted photonic crystal differ greatly, a suitable interface for coupling into the device must be found. We here utilise a resonant defect approach, which preferentially couples into the slot mode. Functionalising the surface of the device with antibodies allows us to detect specific binding of a target protein on the sensor surface. As a proof of principle demonstration we show detection of dissolved avidin concentrations as low as 15 nM using biotin functionalised devices.

Ultra-high Q/V hybrid cavity for strong light-matter interaction

The ability to confine light at the nanoscale continues to excite the research community, with the ratio between quality factor Q and volume V, i.e., the Q/V ratio, being the key figure of merit. In order to achieve strong light-matter interaction, however, it is important to confine a lot of energy in the resonant cavity mode. Here, we demonstrate a novel cavity design that combines a photonic crystal nanobeam cavity with a plasmonic bowtie antenna. The nanobeam cavity is optimised for a good match with the antenna and provides a Q of 1700 and a transmission of 90%. Combined with the bowtie, the hybrid photonic-plasmonic cavity achieves a Q of 800 and a transmission of 20%, both of which remarkable achievements for a hybrid cavity. The ultra-high Q/V of the hybrid cavity is of order of 106 (λ/n)−3, which is comparable to the state-of-the-art of photonic resonant cavities. Based on the high Q/V and the high transmission, we demonstrate the strong efficiency of the hybrid cavity as a nanotweezer for optica...