Hybrid nanophotonic-microfluidic sensor for highly sensitive liquid and gas analyses

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Microfluidics
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Lab-on-a-chip devices offer promising solutions for sensitive gas and liquid analysis.
• High sensitivity and minimal analyte consumption are crucial for environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics.
• Integrating photonic integrated circuits (PICs) with microfluidic channels (MFCs) addresses these requirements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a lab-on-a-chip device combining PICs and MFCs.
• To assess the sensitivity and detection limit for analyzing liquid samples.
• To establish a platform for environmental and biomedical applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of PICs on a silicon nitride platform integrated with MFCs.
• Analysis of varying concentrations of isopropanol in de-ionized water as the analyte.
• System calibration using experimental and numerical simulation data to determine sensitivity (S) and detection limit (DL).

Main Results:

• Successful development of a PIC-MFC integrated lab-on-a-chip device.
• Evaluation of sensitivity (S) and detection limit (DL) for isopropanol solutions.
• Demonstration of the system's capability for precise analyte analysis.

Conclusions:

• The developed PIC-MFC platform is a promising tool for sensitive environmental monitoring.
• This technology holds potential for realizing point-of-care strategies in biomedical applications.
• The integrated approach enables efficient and sensitive analysis with minimal sample volume.