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Silicon photonics waveguide array sensor for selective detection of VOCs at room temperature
Ricardo Janeiro1, Raquel Flores2, Jaime Viegas2
1Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Masdar City Campus, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. ricardo.janeiro@ku.ac.ae.
Scientific Reports
|November 21, 2019
Summary
This study presents a novel volatile organic compound (VOC) sensor on a silicon-on-insulator platform. The sensor offers enhanced reusability and specificity for environmental monitoring applications.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Chemical Sensing
- Materials Science
Background:
- Photonic integrated sensors often face challenges with reusability and specificity.
- Monitoring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is crucial for environmental and public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a reusable and specific VOC sensor architecture.
- To address limitations of existing photonic integrated sensors.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a sensor on a silicon-on-insulator platform using arrayed waveguide interference.
- Incorporation of a chemically selective polydimethylsiloxane polymer cladding as the transducer.
- Characterization of sensor performance with various VOCs at room temperature.
Main Results:
- The sensor demonstrated selectivity with water, toluene, chlorobenzene, and hexane.
- A maximum spectral shift of 22.8 nm was observed with chlorobenzene.
- Sensitivity of 234.8 pm/% and a limit of detection of 0.24% m/m for chlorobenzene were achieved.
Conclusions:
- The developed sensor architecture offers improved reusability and specificity for VOC detection.
- The polydimethylsiloxane cladding effectively functions as a chemical transducer.
- The sensor shows promise for environmental and public health monitoring.
