Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

Implementation of a Reference Interferometer for Nanodetection

Implementation of a Reference Interferometer for Nanodetection

Published on: April 26, 2014

On-chip integrated mid-infrared GaAs/AlGaAs Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

Markus Sieger¹, Franz Balluff, Xiaofeng Wang

¹Institute of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.

Analytical Chemistry

|November 8, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

A Compact Multiplexed Hazardous Gas Sensing Platform for Real-Time Monitoring in Mining Scenarios.

ACS measurement science au·2026

Same author

Multifactorial experimental design approach in forced degradation studies with a focus on the intensity of stress conditions - A trastuzumab case study.

International journal of biological macromolecules·2026

Same author

Correction: Spectroscopic fingerprinting of extracellular vesicles from diverse cellular origins byATR-FTIR for vibrational biomarkers of vector-host interactions.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

Self-mixing detection of methane and carbon dioxide using mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers.

Spectrochimica acta. Part A, Molecular and biomolecular spectroscopy·2026

Same author

Glycan pairing in therapeutic IgG orchestrates Fcγ receptor engagement and ADCC: an integrated structure-function approach for thorough evaluation of Fc N-glycans as critical quality attributes.

mAbs·2026

Same author

The Freiburg framework for multimodal <i>ex situ</i> assessment of neural plasticity in human cortical tissue.

Frontiers in synaptic neuroscience·2026

Researchers developed the first chip-integrated mid-infrared Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) using GaAs/AlGaAs technology. These devices enable mid-infrared sensing applications by analyzing interference patterns from minute sample amounts.

Area of Science:

Photonics and Optical Engineering
Semiconductor Device Fabrication
Infrared Spectroscopy

Background:

Mid-infrared (MIR) light (3-12 μm) is crucial for molecular fingerprinting and chemical sensing.
Chip-integrated photonic devices offer miniaturization and enhanced functionality for MIR applications.
Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) are versatile photonic structures for sensing and signal processing.

Purpose of the Study:

To design, fabricate, and functionally verify the first chip-integrated mid-infrared Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MIR-MZIs).
To demonstrate the feasibility of MIR-MZIs for detecting minute amounts of substances.
To optimize MIR-MZI structures for efficient infrared radiation throughput.

Main Methods:

Utilized GaAs/AlGaAs semiconductor technology for waveguide fabrication via optical lithography and reactive ion etching (RIE).

More Related Videos

Characterization of SiN Integrated Optical Phased Arrays on a Wafer-Scale Test Station

Characterization of SiN Integrated Optical Phased Arrays on a Wafer-Scale Test Station

Published on: April 1, 2020

Infrared Degenerate Four-wave Mixing with Upconversion Detection for Quantitative Gas Sensing

Infrared Degenerate Four-wave Mixing with Upconversion Detection for Quantitative Gas Sensing

Published on: March 22, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 17, 2026

Implementation of a Reference Interferometer for Nanodetection

Implementation of a Reference Interferometer for Nanodetection

Published on: April 26, 2014

Characterization of SiN Integrated Optical Phased Arrays on a Wafer-Scale Test Station

Characterization of SiN Integrated Optical Phased Arrays on a Wafer-Scale Test Station

Published on: April 1, 2020

Infrared Degenerate Four-wave Mixing with Upconversion Detection for Quantitative Gas Sensing

Infrared Degenerate Four-wave Mixing with Upconversion Detection for Quantitative Gas Sensing

Published on: March 22, 2019

Integrated MIR-MZIs with a tunable quantum cascade laser (tQCL) for wavelength coverage from 5.78-6.35 μm.

Designed waveguides with a 5 μm width for single-mode operation and tested various Y-junction angles.

Main Results:

Successfully fabricated and verified the functionality of chip-integrated MIR-MZIs.
Demonstrated MIR-MZI operation by observing interference patterns from deposited water samples.
Confirmed the single-mode behavior of the 5 μm waveguides, crucial for clear interference.

Conclusions:

The study establishes the feasibility of chip-integrated solid-state MIR-MZIs for sensing applications.
This technology platform opens avenues for compact and sensitive MIR detection systems.
Further optimization of Y-junction designs can enhance IR radiation throughput for improved performance.