Toward low-noise on-chip plasmonic three-dimensional biological cell imaging

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Biomedical Imaging
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Affordable and efficient cell imaging is crucial for disease detection.
• Existing tools often lack portability and user-friendliness.
• There is a need for advanced imaging solutions for point-of-care applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a compact, portable, and user-friendly 3D cell imaging platform.
• To leverage silicon photonics and surface plasmon coupled emission (SPCE) for enhanced imaging.
• To develop an imaging algorithm for 3D reconstruction from SPCE signals.

Main Methods:

• Designed a specialized slide with an integrated SPCE structure and silicon nitride (SiN) waveguide.
• Utilized a grooved array for light coupling into the waveguide and edge coupling for excitation.
• Developed a novel imaging algorithm based on emitted light patterns for 3D reconstruction.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a functional 3D cell imaging platform.
• Achieved precise excitation of fluorescently labeled cells without external filters.
• The developed algorithm successfully reconstructs 3D cell images from SPCE signals.

Conclusions:

• The developed platform offers an innovative approach to accessible and efficient cell imaging.
• This technology has the potential to significantly impact point-of-care diagnostics.
• The fusion of silicon photonics, SPCE, and computational imaging enables portable 3D cell analysis.