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Published on: January 7, 2019
Laser-written nanoporous silicon ridge waveguide for highly sensitive optical sensors
Jinan Xia1, Andrea M Rossi, Thomas E Murphy
1Materials and Microsystems Laboratory (xLab), Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy.
Optics Letters
|August 3, 2012
Summary
Low-loss ridge waveguides were fabricated on nanoporous silicon using a laser, enabling highly sensitive optical biosensors and chemical sensors.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Materials Science
- Nanotechnology and Optics
Background:
- Porous silicon offers tunable optical properties and large surface areas, making it suitable for photonic devices.
- Developing low-loss waveguides is crucial for advanced optical sensing applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate low-loss ridge waveguides directly on nanoporous silicon layers.
- To demonstrate the potential of these waveguides in highly sensitive optical sensors.
Main Methods:
- Direct laser writing of ridge waveguides on nanoporous silicon using an argon-ion laser (514 nm, 100 mW).
- Optical characterization of waveguide propagation loss at 1550 nm post-oxidation.
- Experimental demonstration of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer sensor.
Main Results:
- Achieved light propagation loss below 0.5 dB/cm at 1550 nm after oxidation.
- Demonstrated a Mach-Zehnder interferometer sensor with potential for very high sensitivity.
- Highlighted the suitability of porous silicon's properties for advanced sensor configurations.
Conclusions:
- Laser-written ridge waveguides on nanoporous silicon are viable for low-loss light propagation.
- These waveguides can be integrated into sensitive optical interferometric sensors.
- Porous silicon-based photonic devices offer significant potential for biosensing and chemical sensing applications.
