Open AccessOptical bio-chemical sensors on SNOW ring resonators
Author(s) -
Mohammadreza Khorasaninejad,
Nigel J. Clarke,
M. P. Anantram,
Simarjeet S. Saini
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.19.017575
Subject(s) - materials science , resonator , refractive index , silicon on insulator , optics , silicon , optoelectronics , waveguide , monolayer , silicon photonics , nanowire , nanotechnology , physics
In this paper, we propose and analyze novel ring resonator based bio-chemical sensors on silicon nanowire optical waveguide (SNOW) and show that the sensitivity of the sensors can be increased by an order of magnitude as compared to silicon-on-insulator based ring resonators while maintaining high index contrast and compact devices. The core of the waveguide is hollow and allows for introduction of biomaterial in the center of the mode, thereby increasing the sensitivity of detection. A sensitivity of 243 nm/refractive index unit (RIU) is achieved for a change in bulk refractive index. For surface attachment, the sensor is able to detect monolayer attachments as small as 1 Å on the surface of the silicon nanowires.