All-nanophotonic NEMS biosensor on a chip

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Biosensing
• Photonics

Background:

• Integrated chemical and biological sensors offer advantages in cost, size, and weight, enabling parallel monitoring.
• Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) biosensors are promising for integrated platforms, but current actuation/transduction methods are limited to lab conditions.
• Existing all-optical approaches are either macroscopic or too complex/expensive for mass production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel scheme for an extremely compact NEMS biosensor.
• To achieve all-nanophotonic transduction and actuation monolithically integrated on a chip.
• To overcome the limitations of current NEMS biosensor technologies for practical applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a nanophotonic waveguide and a nanobeam cantilever in a single CMOS-compatible process.
• Utilizing the near-field interaction between the cantilever and the confined photonic or plasmonic mode of the waveguide for actuation.
• Direct readout of the cantilever's response using the same nanophotonic waveguide.

Main Results:

• Demonstration of an extremely compact NEMS biosensor with integrated nanophotonic transduction and actuation.
• Achieved highly efficient actuation and direct readout via the nanophotonic waveguide.
• Exhibited very high sensitivity, enabling single-molecule detection even in ambient atmosphere.

Conclusions:

• The proposed all-nanophotonic NEMS biosensor overcomes the limitations of existing technologies.
• This novel scheme enables highly sensitive, compact, and potentially low-cost biosensing.
• The technology holds promise for advanced parallel monitoring and analysis in various applications.