Zhi-mei Qi

A composite optical waveguide-based polarimetric interferometer for chemical and biological sensing applications

A new polarimetric interferometer has been developed on the basis of the phase difference between transverse electric (TE)/sub 0/ and transverse magnetic (TM)/sub 0/ modes in a composite optical waveguide (OWG). The composite OWG consists of a single-mode potassium ion-exchanged planar waveguide overlaid with a high-index thin film that has two tapered ends and supports only the TE/sub 0/ mode. Applying tapered velocity coupling theory, we found that the TE/sub 0/ and TM/sub 0/ modes coexisting in the potassium ion-exchanged layer were separated in the thin film region of the composite OWG: the TE/sub 0/ mode was coupled into the thin film while the TM/sub 0/ mode was confined in the potassium ion-exchanged layer. Interference occurs between TE- and TM-polarized output components when a single output beam is passed through a 45/spl deg/-polarized analyzer. The phase difference /spl phi/ between both orthogonal output components is very sensitive to the superstrate index n/sub c/ in the thin film region. Our experimental results indicate that a slight change of /spl Delta/n/sub c/=3.71/spl times/10/sup -6/ results in the phase-difference variation of /spl Delta//spl phi/=1/spl deg/ for a 5-mm-long TiO/sub 2//K/sup +/ composite OWG with a 34-nm-thick TiO/sub 2/ film. Such a simple polarimetric interferometer can be applied to chemical or biological sensors by modifying the upper film surface of the composite OWG with a chemically or biologically active substance.

Nanoporous leaky waveguide based chemical and biological sensors with broadband spectroscopy

Here the authors demonstrate spectral optical chemical and biological sensors based on a nanoporous thin-film leaky waveguide that were fabricated by dip coating the gold-layer-covered glass substrate from the colloidal TiO2 solution. The sensor operates by interrogating the resonance wavelengths for the leaky modes in a broad bandwidth using the Kretschmann configuration. Sensitivities of the sensor to refractive index of liquid and protein adsorption were investigated and compared with the spectral surface plasmon resonance sensors. The best fitting to the experimental data was carried out with the Fresnel equations, and thickness and porosity of the nanoporous waveguiding layer were determined.

Composite optical waveguide composed of a tapered film of bromothymol blue evaporated onto a potassium ion-exchanged waveguide and its application as a guided wave absorption-based ammonia-gas sensor.

For what is the first time to our knowledge, we have successfully evaporated a tapered film of bromothymol blue (BTB) onto a potassium ion-exchanged (PIE) waveguide to form a composite optical waveguide (COWG) for trace-ammonia detection. The BTB film has a high refractive index (1.69) and a smooth surface and is transparent to a 633-nm laser beam in air. In the COWG structure, the BTB film serves as a single-mode waveguide, and adiabatic transition of the TE(0) mode was realized between the BTB waveguide and the PIE waveguide with both BTB tapers. In the presence of ammonia, the BTB film changes color from yellow to blue, which causes absorption of the 633-nm guided wave. Our experimental results demonstrate that such a guided wave absorption-based ammonia-gas sensor is much more sensitive than one based on evanescent-wave absorption. A detection limit of part in 10(9) of ammonia has been realized for a BTB film-PIE glass COWG.

Ordered-mesoporous-silica-thin-film-based chemical gas sensors with integrated optical polarimetric interferometry

A technology to make integrated optical chemical gas sensors using sol-gel surfactant-templated mesoporous thin films was demonstrated. The sensor was prepared by dip coating of an ordered mesoporous silica thin film onto a tapered thin TiO2 layer sputtered on top of a tin-diffused glass waveguide. The sensor employs single-beam polarimetric interferometry to detect molecular adsorption in the mesoporous silica film because the adsorption can lead to a change of the phase difference (Δϕ) between the fundamental transverse electric (TE0) and magnetic (TM0) modes propagating in the waveguide. The sensor is sensitive to humidity and NH3 gas at room temperature (RT). The sensitivity of Δϕ>180° was detected for 40min exposure of the sensor to 2ppm of NH3 in dry air. The sensor was recoverable from the HN3 exposure but its recovery was too slow to cause a detectable Δϕ per unit time. The slow response and recovery of the sensor were ascribed to slow diffusion of gaseous molecules in the laterally oriented tube-...

Humidity sensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance of multilayer thin films of gold nanoparticles linked with myoglobin

Layer-by-layer self-assembled multilayer thin films of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) linked with myoglobin (Mb) show substantial sensitivity to humidity at room temperature according to measurements of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) absorption that relies on the interparticle interaction present in the film. The sensor response is reversible, with response and recovery times as low as 5 s. The sensing mechanism is as follows: as the ambient humidity changes, Mb molecules change their size, making the GNP-to-GNP spacing and thereby the interparticle interaction change; the change in the interparticle interaction causes a change in the LSPR absorption of the multilayer thin film. We found that the LSPR band of the multilayer thin film was almost insensitive to both the surrounding refractive index and the adlayer thickness, rendering the multilayer-film-based humidity sensor highly immune to ambient disturbances.

Prism-coupled multimode waveguide refractometer

A new refractometer has been developed based on changes in the effective refractive index (RI) of the highest-order TE (or TM) mode in a prism-coupled multimode planar waveguide induced by interaction between an evanescent field and a liquid sample. The waveguide was a 100-mu;m -thick quartz plate fixed on a poly(methyl methacrylate) support containing a flow cell. A pair of prism couplers contacted the quartz plate in the flow-cell region. Such an optical sensor can detect the RI of liquid in a wide range by monitoring the resonant angle of the highest-order mode that changes order number with changes in the samples RI. When a highest-order mode corresponding to a given RI range is used as the sensor probe, a slight RI change in this range can be detected by measurement of the output light intensity. With this method the sensor was demonstrated to have a resolution of 3x10(-5) for the RI of an aqueous solution. Combining this result with theoretical calculation indicates that the sensor can detect a 0.5-nm-thick monolayer adsorbed from an aqueous solution. Therefore, the sensor is suitable for real-time detection of biomolecular interactions.

Characterization and application of a channel–planar composite waveguide

A new structural waveguide, which is referred to as a channel-planar composite optical waveguide (COWG), has been fabricated by sputtering of a titanium dioxide (TiO>(2)) film onto a glass substrate with potassium ion-exchanged channel waveguides. By use of a mask during deposition, the TiO(2) film was formed into a 27-nm-thick, 5-mm-wide strip with two 1-mm-long tapered ends perpendicular to the channel waveguides. Adiabatic transition of the TE(00) mode and the TE(00)- TM(00) mode separation inside such a channel-planar COWG were demonstrated by combination of theoretical analysis and measurement of the experimental attenuation that arises from scattering loss and evanescent-field dye absorption. Changing the superstrate index in the region of the TiO(2) film in the channel-planar COWG yielded polarimetric interference patterns. This new technique can be applied to integrated optical chemical and biological sensors to produce enhanced sensitivity.

Nanoporous TiO2/polyion thin-film-coated long-period grating sensors for the direct measurement of low-molecular-weight analytes.

We present novel nanoporous TiO(2)/polyion thin-film-coated long-period fiber grating (LPFG) sensors for the direct measurement of low-molecular-weight chemicals by monitoring the resonance wavelength shift. The hybrid overlay films are prepared by a simple layer-by-layer deposition approach, which is mainly based on the electrostatic interaction of TiO(2) nanoparticles and polyions. By the alternate immersion of LPFG into dispersions of TiO(2) nanoparticles and polyions, respectively, the so-formed TiO(2)/polyion thin film exhibits a unique nanoporous internal structure and has a relative higher refractive index than LPFG cladding. In particular, the porosity of the thin film reduces the diffusion coefficient and enhances the permeability retention of low-molecular-weight analytes within the porous film. The increases in the refractive index of the LPFG overlay results in a distinguished modulation of the resonance wavelength. Therefore, the detection sensitivity of LPFG sensors has been greatly improved, according to theoretical simulation. After the structure of the TiO(2)/polyion thin film was optimized, glucose solutions as an example with a low concentration of 10(-7) M was easily detected and monitored at room temperature.

Broadband surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy for determination of refractive-index dispersion of dielectric thin films

Here the authors report the spectral surface plasmon resonance (SPR) behavior of thin gold films covered with dielectric layers. With the SPR sensor angular dependence of the resonant wavelength and refractive-index (RI) sensitivity at a specific angle were measured by broadband absorption spectroscopy. By fitting the calculated SPR absorption spectrum to the experimental result, RI dispersion of a TiO2-nanoparticle/polymer composite layer was obtained, which was compared with the ellipsometry data. The phase spectra of the sensor were calculated, and a large response of the phase to the solution RI was observed around the resonant wavelength.

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.