Abstract
We demonstrate the high potential of an optical integrated sensor which monitors
the changes of the effective refractive index of the resonant optical modes induced by
variations of the refractive index of the surrounding material. The detection system is
a CMOS compatible structure based on a visible light emitting Si-rich
Si<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub> μ-disk coupled to a passive Si<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub>
waveguide placed underneath. We present a complete optical characterization of the
active material in the isolated (μ-disk) and combined (plus coupled waveguide)
photonic systems. The material has been optimized to obtain bright cavities with high
quality factors. As a final result, we demonstrate that the sensor can achieve a
sensitivity of 36 nm/RIU for small refractive index changes (Δn= 0.002) and a
minimum detection limit of 1.6 × 10<sup>-3</sup> RIU. This structure can be used as a
building block for detection systems with increased complexity, in which demultiplexing
and detection could be readily integrated on the same chip.
© 2011 IEEE
PDF Article
More Like This
Cited By
You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.
Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription