Integrated approach to laser delivery and confocal signal detection

We present an on-chip arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) sensor based on the confocal arrangement of two AWGs, one acting as focusing illuminator and one as signal collector. The chip can be close to, or in direct contact with, a sample, e.g., biological tissue, without the need of external optics. The collection efficiency of our device can be more than 1 order of magnitude higher than that of a standard AWG, in which light is collected by one input channel. Experimental results on the collection efficiency and volume are presented, together with a demonstration of multiwavelength imaging.