Russell Wayne Gruhlke

Evidence of enhanced fluorescence via cross coupling in an integrated thin-film fluorescence sensor

A fluorescence sensor-system has been proposed that integrates optical and electronic components in a thin-film geometry. Predicted properties of this sensor include: increased sensitivity, shielding form unwanted radiation, wavelength filtering, potential operation at high temperatures, and miniaturization. The sensor can be tuned to measure a wide variety of species by varying its thin- film corrugation period. The optical properties of the sensor are determined, in large part, by optical cross coupling through a corrugated metal film and enhanced fluorescence. Measurements evaluating these processes are presented.