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Label-Free Optical Ring Resonator Bio/Chemical Sensors

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Optical Guided-wave Chemical and Biosensors II

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Chemical Sensors and Biosensors ((SSSENSORS,volume 8))

Abstract

Optical micro-ring resonator sensors are an emerging category of label-free optical sensors for bio/chemical sensing that have recently been under intensive investigation. Researchers of this technology have been motivated by a tremendous breadth of different applications, including medical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, homeland security, and food quality control, which require sensitive analytical tools. Ring resonator sensors use total internal reflection to support circulating optical resonances called whispering gallery modes (WGMs). The WGMs have an evanescent field of several hundred nanometers into the surrounding medium, and can therefore detect the refractive index change induced when the analyte binds to the resonator surface. Despite the small physical size of a resonator, the circulating nature of the WGM creates extremely long effective lengths, greatly increasing light–matter interaction and improving its sensing performance. Moreover, only small sample volume is needed for detection because the sensors can be fabricated in sizes well below 100 μm. The small footprint allows integration of those ring resonator sensors onto lab-on-a-chip types of devices for multiplexed detection.

This chapter gives an introduction to the ring resonator sensing principles. Different ring resonator configurations are illustrated as well, including microspheres, microfabricated planar ring resonators, and capillary-based opto-fluidic ring resonators. Their sensing performances are evaluated and compared quantitatively. Finally, the future development for ring resonator sensors is discussed.

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Abbreviations

BRIS:

Bulk refractive index sensitivity

BSA:

Bovine serum albumin

DNA:

Deoxyribonucleic acid

OFRR:

Opto-fluidic ring resonator

RI:

Refractive index

RIU:

Refractive index units

RNA:

Ribonucleic acid

WGM:

Whispering gallery mode

L eff :

Effective light–matter interaction length

m :

Integer for angular momentum

n buffer :

Buffer solution refractive index

n eff :

Effective refractive index

n OFRR :

OFRR refractive index

n sphere :

Microsphere refractive index

Q :

Quality factor ring resonator radius

S :

Bulk refractive index sensitivity (BRIS)

αex :

Excess polarizability

δλ:

WGM resonant wavelength shift

ε o :

Vacuum permittivity

λ :

WGM resonant wavelength

σ :

Biomolecule surface density

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1101 Beal Ave., Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Xudong Fan

Authors
  1. Hongying Zhu
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  2. Jonathan D. Suter
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  3. Xudong Fan
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Correspondence to Xudong Fan .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. GDG Environnement Ltée, 430, rue St-Laurent, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, G8T 6H3, Canada

    Mohammed Zourob

  2. INRS Énergie, Matériaux et Télécommunications, 1650, boul. Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, Québec, J3X 1S2, Canada

    Mohammed Zourob

  3. Dept. Engineering Science & Mechanics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, SA, 16802, USA

    Akhlesh Lakhtakia

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Zhu, H., Suter, J.D., Fan, X. (2010). Label-Free Optical Ring Resonator Bio/Chemical Sensors. In: Zourob, M., Lakhtakia, A. (eds) Optical Guided-wave Chemical and Biosensors II. Springer Series on Chemical Sensors and Biosensors, vol 8. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-02827-4_10

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