Recent advances in integrated photonic sensors

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Sensor Technology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Optical devices and circuits are essential in medicine, biotechnology, automotive, aerospace, and chemistry.
• Integrated photonic sensors offer advantages like CMOS compatibility and micrometric footprints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive review of integrated photonic sensors.
• To detail materials, technologies, architectures, and optical sensing principles.
• To discuss design strategies and recent developments in photonic sensing.

Main Methods:

• Review of sensing principles (sensitivity, selectivity, rangeability).
• Discussion of design and optimization strategies for photonic devices.
• Presentation of numerical methods for photonic circuit simulation and design.

Main Results:

• Analysis of sensor performance features.
• Exploration of design and optimization for sensing applications.
• Review of advanced photonic sensor architectures using linear and non-linear optical effects.

Conclusions:

• Integrated photonic sensors are crucial for various fields due to their performance and miniaturization potential.
• Advanced architectures enhance capabilities for chemical/biochemical sensing, angular velocity, and electric field detection.
• This review provides a foundation for future photonic sensor development and application.