Optical label-free biosensor based on resonant cavities

Research Area: Sensors and bio-sensors

Main Researcher: Peter Bienstman

We use nanophotonic devices fabricated in silicon to create biosensors for proteins and DNA, for a variety of applications in diagnostics, drug discovery and food safety. These sensors can be fabricated using classical electronics mass-fabrication procedures, which makes them very cheap. Moreover, many sensors can be integrated on the same chip, such that one chip can detect many biomolecules at the same time. This is interesting for lab-on-a-chip applications, e.g. for disease detection in the developping world.

The use of optical semiconductor cavities for sensing purposes is based on a measurement of the resonance wavelength shift caused by a refractive index change when a biomolecule binds to receptor molecule fixed on the cavity’s surface. This way detection occurs without an additional labeling step. The use of semi-conducting materials for optical biosensors requires non-trivial surface chemistry, on which research is done by the UGent polymer chemistry group (Prof. E. Schacht).

We are currently investigating passive SOI microrings, fabricated with DUV lithography. Thanks to the use of high refractive index contrast materials, cavities with extreme small dimensions and sharp resonance peaks can be designed.

In a next step the sensors can be lined up in arrays for parallel multi-parameter detection.

Other people involved:

• Roel Baets
• Peter Bienstman
• Cristina Lerma Arce
• Ananth Subramanian
• Sam Werquin
• Tom Claes
• Katrien De Vos
• Peter Debackere
• Kumar Saurav

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Si based waveguide and surface plasmon sensors

Publications

International Journals


1. C. Lerma Arce, D. Witters, J. Lammertyn, P. Bienstman, Silicon Photonic Sensors incorporated in a Digital Microfluidic System,Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 404(10), p.2887-2894 (2012)  .
2. W. Bogaerts, P. De Heyn, T. Van Vaerenbergh, K. De Vos, S. Selvaraja, T. Claes, P. Dumon, P. Bienstman, D. Van Thourhout, R. Baets, Silicon microring resonators,Lasers & Photonics Reviews, 6(1), p.47-73 (2012)  .
3. K. De Vos, Jordi Girones Molera, T. Claes, Y. De Koninck, Stepan Popelka, Etienne Schacht, R. Baets, P. Bienstman, Multiplexed antibody detection with an array of silicon-on-insulator microring resonators,IEEE Photonics Journal, 1(4), p.225-235 (2009)  .
4. K. De Vos, J. Girones, S. Popelka, E. Schacht, R. Baets, P. Bienstman, SOI optical microring resonator with poly(ethylene glycol) polymer brush for label-free biosensor applications,Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 24(8), p.2528-2533 (2009)  .
5. K. De Vos, I, Bartolozzi, E, Schacht, P. Bienstman, R. Baets, Silicon-on-Insulator microring resonator for sensitive and label-free biosensing,Optics Express, 15(12), p.7610-7615 (2007)  .

International Conferences


1. P. Bienstman, T. Claes, C. Lerma Arce, W. Bogaerts, K. Komorowska, D. Van Thourhout, Novel Ring Resonator Based Biosensors,CLEO Europe (invited), Germany, p.jsiv1.3-sun (2011)  .
2. C. Lerma Arce, K. Komorowska, D. Van Thourhout, P. Bienstman, Optical fiber probe sensor based on Silicon-on-Insulator ring resonator,Annual Symposium IEEE Photonics Benelux 2010 , Netherlands, p.133-136 (2010)  .
3. K. De Vos, J. Girones, T. Claes, E. Schacht, R. Baets, P. Bienstman, High throughput label-free biosensing with silicon-on-insulator microring resonators,Europt(r)ode X , Czech Republic, (2010)  .
4. G. Yurtsever, K. De Vos, T. Claes, P.P.P. Debackere, P. Bienstman, R. Baets, Photonic Biosensors in Silicon-on-Insulator ,2nd International Conference On Silicon Photonics (invited), United States, (2010)  .
5. K. De Vos, P.P.P. Debackere, T. Claes, J. Girones, W.A.D. De Cort, E. Schacht, R. Baets, P. Bienstman, Label-free biosensors on silicon-on-insulator optical chips,SPIE Optics and Photonics (invited), 7397(37), United States, (2009)  .
6. K. De Vos, P.P.P. Debackere, R. Baets, P. Bienstman, Label-free biosensors on Silicon-on-Insulator optical chips based on microring cavities and surface plasmon interferometry,ICTON 2008 (invited), 2, Greece, p.88-91 (2008)  .
7. W. Bogaerts, P. Dumon, J. Brouckaert, K. De Vos, D. Taillaert, D. Van Thourhout, R. Baets, Ultra-compact optical filters in Silicon-on-Insulator and their Applications,Group IV Photonics (invited), Japan, p.WA1 (2007)  .
8. P.P.P. Debackere, K. De Vos, S. Scheerlinck, P. Bienstman, R. Baets, Silicon-on-Insulator as a Platform for Biosensors,Frontiers research Meeting, (2007)  .
9. K. De Vos, I. Bartolozzi, D. Taillaert, W. Bogaerts, P. Bienstman, R. Baets, E. Schacht, Optical biosensor based on silicon-on-insolator microring cavities for specific protein detection,Proc. of SPIE Photonics West (BiOS), 6447, United States, p.6447DK-1 (2007)  .
10. P.P.P. Debackere, D. Taillaert, S. Scheerlinck, K. De Vos, P. Bienstman, R. Baets, Si based waveguide and surface plasmon sensors,Photonics West 2007: Silicon Photonics II (invited), 6477, United States, p.647719 (2007)  .
11. K. De Vos, I. Bartolozzi, P. Bienstman, R. Baets, E. Schacht, Optical Biosensor based on Silicon-on-Insulator Microring Resonators for Specific Protein Binding Detection,LEOS Benelux Annual Symposium, Netherlands, (2006)  .
12. K. De Vos, I. Bartolozzi, P. Dumon, S. Scheerlinck, W. Bogaerts, D. Taillaert, E. Schacht, P. Bienstman, R. Baets, Silicon-on-Insulator Microring for Label-Free Biosensing ,NanoBioEurope, France, (2006)  .

National Conferences


1. K. De Vos, J. Girones, R. Baets, P. Bienstman, Photonics microring biosensor platform,PhD Symposium, Belgium, (2008)  .
2. K. De Vos, I. Bartolozzi, P. Bienstman, R. Baets, E. Schacht, Optical Biosensor based on Silicon-on-Insulator Microring Resonators for Specific Protein Binding Detection,PhD Symposium, Belgium, (2006)  .

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