Analysis of ring resonators for chemical vapor sensor development

Area of Science:

• Photonics and optical sensing
• Chemical sensing technologies
• Materials science for sensor applications

Background:

• Ring resonators are sensitive to changes in their optical environment.
• Chemical vapor sensors rely on detecting alterations in material properties.
• Polymer coatings are commonly used to interact with vapor analytes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically analyze the sensing performance of ring resonator chemical vapor sensors.
• To investigate two configurations: polymer coating on the interior versus exterior of the resonator.
• To provide guidance for developing highly sensitive ring resonator chemical vapor sensors.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a four-layer Mie model for simulation.
• Investigating the impact of polymer refractive index (RI) and thickness changes.
• Analyzing sensitivity as a function of resonator and polymer properties, mode order, and polarization.

Main Results:

• Quantified refractive index (RI) and thickness sensitivity for both sensor configurations.
• Identified key parameters influencing sensor performance, including coating properties and resonator dimensions.
• Highlighted similarities and differences between interior and exterior polymer coating configurations.

Conclusions:

• The simulation provides a comprehensive understanding of ring resonator chemical vapor sensor performance.
• Optimization of polymer coating and resonator design is crucial for maximizing sensitivity.
• This work offers valuable insights for the rational design of advanced chemical vapor sensors.