Microring-resonator-based sensor measuring both the concentration and temperature of a solution

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Chemical Sensing
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Accurate glucose monitoring is crucial for diabetes management.
• Existing methods for glucose sensing face challenges in simultaneous temperature compensation.
• Micro-ring resonators offer high sensitivity for refractive index-based sensing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and experimentally validate a micro-ring resonator sensor capable of measuring both glucose concentration and temperature.
• To differentiate between temperature-induced and concentration-induced resonance shifts.
• To demonstrate a practical implementation of such a sensor.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a dual micro-ring resonator sensor coupled to a bus waveguide.
• Selective exposure of one micro-ring resonator's core to the glucose solution.
• Utilizing polymer materials and a polymer lift-off process for sensor implementation.
• Analyzing resonance wavelength shifts to determine temperature and concentration.

Main Results:

• The sensor demonstrated distinct resonance wavelength shifts for temperature and concentration.
• The fabricated sensor successfully measured both parameters.
• The differential response of the two resonators allowed for accurate decoupling of temperature and concentration effects.

Conclusions:

• The proposed micro-ring resonator sensor is effective for simultaneous glucose concentration and temperature measurement.
• This approach offers a promising pathway for improved glucose monitoring systems.
• The sensor's design enables accurate compensation for temperature variations in glucose concentration measurements.