Silicon Photonic Biosensors Using Label-Free Detection

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Advanced semiconductor microfabrication enables chip-scale integration of lab-on-a-chip (LOC) components.
• Silicon-based optical biosensors are crucial for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics.
• Miniaturization and integration are key trends in biosensing technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of state-of-the-art evanescent field biosensing technologies.
• To compare different sensor types, their mechanisms, performance, and biomarker applications.
• To review chip-level integration of LOC photonic sensing platforms and their commercialization potential.

Main Methods:

• Review of interferometer, microcavity, photonic crystal, and Bragg grating waveguide-based sensors.
• Analysis of sensing mechanisms and sensor performances for label-free detection.
• Examination of chip-level integration including sensing devices, flow systems, and readout equipment.

Main Results:

• Evanescent field biosensors show significant progress for POC diagnosis.
• Various silicon-based optical biosensor types are compared for sensing capabilities and biomarker detection.
• Chip-level integration of photonic sensing platforms is advancing rapidly.

Conclusions:

• Silicon-based optical biosensors are nearing commercialization for portable, low-cost diagnostics.
• Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip packaging demonstrates commercial viability.
• The integration of advanced technologies promises widespread adoption of POC biosensing platforms.