High-Sensitivity Sensor Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance Enhanced Lateral Optical Beam Displacements

We present a new optical sensor based on surface plasmon resonance （SPIt） enhanced lateral optical beam displacements. Compared with the traditional SPIt methods, the new method provides higher sensitivity to the sensor system. Theoretical simulations show that the refractive index （RI） detection sensitivity of the SPR sensor based on the displacement measurement has a strong dependence on the thickness of the metal film. When the optimal thickness of the metal film is selected, the RI resolutlon of the SPIt sensor is predicted to be 2.2 × 10^-7 refractive index units （RIU）. Furthermore, it is found that the incidence angle can be used as a parameter to adjust the operating range of the sensor to different refractive index ranges.     

准晶体结构光纤表面等离子体共振传感器特性研究

光纤表面等离子体共振传感器在高灵敏度传感和在线实时监测等领域具有重要意义. 设计了一种六重准晶体结构环形通道光纤表面等离子体共振传感器, 基于有限元法对该传感器的传感特性进行了数值模拟. 研究了光纤各结构参量对传感器特性的影响规律. 研究结果表明: 待测液折射率的有效监测范围为1.25–1.331, 最高灵敏度可达26400 nm·RIU^-1, 传感器具有损耗谱杂峰少、探测范围广、灵敏度高、设计灵活性高和光路可弯曲等特点, 在生化检测、公共安全、环境污染监测以及高灵敏度传感等领域具有广泛的应用前景.     

侧面压迫式及端面拉伸式增敏光纤光栅水声传感器

研究了采用侧面压迫式增敏和端面拉伸式增敏的无源光纤光栅水声传感器。采用灌注和弹性片端面增敏两种方案分别对光纤光栅传感器进行增敏。研究结果表明灌注方案谐振频率过低(300Hz),高频灵敏度过低(小于-205dB),且制作工艺要求比较复杂;弹性片端面增敏方案采用铍铜片进行增敏,在100～1000Hz频率范围内灵敏度为(-175±2)dB。对端面增敏传感器进行了封装,并应用于水声的检测实验。实验表明,该传感器在灵敏度及灵敏度频响指标上已经可以满足应用要求。     

光纤SPR湿敏传感器及其共振光谱特性研究

提出并研制了基于光纤SPR传感探针的新型湿敏传感器。首先研究了光纤SPR传感探针对环境湿度变化的敏感特性,在此基础上提出在光纤SPR传感探针表面增覆不同厚度且具有水分子吸附功能的PVA薄膜来实现环境相对湿度的监测。研究结果表明,增覆双层PVA薄膜的光纤SPR传感探针在高湿区具有较好监测效果,其共振强度对应的相对湿度测量灵敏度达到1.59%/%RH,较光纤SPR探针呈现显著提高。而增覆单层PVA薄膜的光纤SPR传感探针在高湿区共振波长对应的相对湿度监测灵敏度达到2.411nm/%RH。此外所提出的新型光纤SPR湿敏探针在PVA薄膜失效后经过特殊工艺处理仍可重复镀膜使用。     

Optical cavity coupled surface plasmon resonance sensing for enhanced sensitivity

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing system based on the optical cavity enhanced detection tech-nique is experimentally demonstrated. A fiber-optic laser cavity is built with a SPR sensor inside. By measuring the laser output power when the cavity is biased near the threshold point, the sensitivity, defined as the dependence of the output optical intensity on the sample variations, can be increased by about one order of magnitude compared to that of the SPR sensor alone under the intensity interrogation scheme. This could facilitate ultra-high sensitivity SPR biosensing applications. Further system miniaturization is possible by using integrated optical components and waveguide SPR sensors.     

Optical fiber SPR biosensor with sandwich assay for the detection of prostate specific antigen

We present a new, sensitive, few mode fiber (FMF) surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor with a sandwich assay for the detection of PSA. The side-polished FMF biosensor does not need a polarizer and a thin high-index overlayer. The optical sensitivity of the SPR sensor was determined as 2.5 × 10⁻⁶ RIU. In the SPR PSA sensor, the SPR signals were amplified by a factor of 6 in average over no secondary antibody, using the sandwich assay. The proposed FMF SPR biosensor has great potential for real-time analysis of immune reaction between biomolecules and the advantages of high-sensitivity and label-free detection.     

Single-strand DNA detection using a planar photonic-crystal-waveguide-based sensor

We report an experimental demonstration of single-strand DNA (ssDNA) detection at room temperature using a photonic-crystal-waveguide-based optical sensor. The sensor surface was previously biofunctionalized with ssDNA probes to be used as specific target receptors. Our experiments showed that it is possible to detect these hybridization events using planar photonic-crystal structures, reaching an estimated detection limit as low as 19.8 nM for the detection of the complementary DNA strand.     

Packaging and Characteristics of a Tapered Fiber Sensor for Refractive-Index Measurements

In this study, we demonstrate the design and fabrication of a tapered fiber sensor with a sensing application based on a new (high-sensitivity) package. We study the effect of various geometric parameters such as the uniform segment diameter, the uniform segment length, and the incident angle of the optical wave on the tapered fiber sensor sensitivity for evanescent sensing. Our study shows that high sensitivity of the tapered fiber can be realized by optimizing its parameters. In addition, we design a novel packaging of a tapered-fiber sensor, which can efficiently ensure a uniform stress and reduce the cross sensitivity caused by stress in liquid detection using a tapered fiber sensor. We report the experimental results obtained using this tapered fiber sensor for refractive-index measurements. As the refractive index of liquids varies from 1.417 to 1.423, the measurement results show that the refractive-index sensitivity of the tapered fiber sensor is as high as 4860 nm/RIU.     

High sensitivity dual core photonic crystal fiber sensor for simultaneous detection of two samples

The optical control ability of photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is a distinctive property suitable for improving sensing and plasma performance. This article proposes a dual-core D-channel PCF sensor that can detect two samples simultaneously, which effectively solves the problems of coating difficulty and low wavelength sensitivity. The PCF has four layers of air holes, which dramatically reduces the optical fiber loss and is more conducive to the application of sensors in actual production. In addition, by introducing dual cores on the upper and lower sides of the central air hole, reducing the spacing between the core and the gold nanolayer, a stronger evanescent field can be generated in the cladding air hole. The optical fiber sensor can detect the refractive index of two samples simultaneously with a maximum sensitivity of 21300 nm/RIU. To the best of our knowledge, the sensitivity achieved in this work is the highest sensitivity with the dual sample synchronous detection sensors. The detection range of the refraction index is 1.35-1.41, and the resolution of the sensor is 4.695×10^-6. Overall, the sensor will be suitable for medical detection, organic chemical sensing, analyte detection, and other fields.     

Subfemtomole detection of small molecules with microsphere sensors

We investigated the feasibility of using a silica microsphere sensor for detection of small molecules. Using the silica molecules (60 Da) at the sphere's surface as a model system, we measured the spectral shifts in the whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) when the sphere size was decreased by a hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution. The results demonstrate that our sensor is capable of detecting a 4 pm (or 0.01 layer of silica) decrease in sphere radius, corresponding to a change of 0.4 fmol silica molecule. These results suggest that small molecules can be detected in trace quantities at the surface of an optical microsphere sensor.     

Enhancement of sensitivity in optical waveguide sensors using left-handed materials

We show analytically that the sensitivity of an optical waveguide sensor can be dramatically enhanced by using a metamaterial with negative permittivity and permeability. The variation of the sensitivity of the proposed waveguide sensor with different parameters of the waveguide is studied. It is found that the sensitivity of the sensor increases with the increasing thickness of the metamaterial due to the surface polariton generation.     

Absorption Measurement Using a Leaky Waveguide Mode

We propose an optical waveguide sensor using a leaky mode for absorption measurement of liquid samples. This sensor uses a single coupling prism. A cladding layer and a waveguide layer are directly deposited on the reflecting surface of the prism. The intensity of the internally reflected beam at an appropriate incident angle is very sensitive to the imaginary part of the sample attached to the surface of the waveguide layer. The sensitivity of this sensor is controlled by the thicknesses of both cladding and waveguide layers. We studied the performance of the sensor by numerical calculation.     

Numerical simulation of wavelength-modulated surface plasmon resonance-based fiber optic sensor

A systematically theoretical analysis of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based optical fiber sensor is carried out. A three-layer mode (fiber core/gold/sample) is used to simulate the SPR-based optical fiber sensor. Several parameters including the thickness of gold layer, numerical aperture (NA) of fiber, sensing region length and fiber core diameter have been investigated to evaluate the sensitivity and measurement accuracy of sensor. A detailed explanation for the effect of these parameters on the sensor is presented to give a guideline to optimally design the SPR-based optical fiber sensor.     

Integrated optical biosensor for detection of multivalent proteins

We have developed a simple, highly sensitive and specific optical waveguide sensor for the detection of multivalent proteins. The optical biosensor is based on optically tagged glycolipid receptors embedded within a fluid phospholipid bilayer membrane formed upon the surface of a planar optical waveguide. Binding of multivalent cholera toxin triggers a fluorescence resonance energy transfer that results in a two-color optical change that is monitored by measurement of emitted luminescence above the waveguide surface. The sensor approach is highly sensitive and specific and requires no additional reagents and washing steps. Demonstration of protein-receptor recognition by use of planar optical waveguides provides a path forward for the development of fieldable miniaturized biosensor arrays.     

Holographic chemical vapor sensor

A holographic interferometer senses vapor-induced optical path length changes in polymer or other chemically sensitive films. The interferometer is inherently sensitive to changes in chemical vapor content, self-compensates for drifts, and accommodates a large array of sensor elements. A sniff-locked-loop synchronous detection method takes advantage of the interferometer's rapid response to achieve vapor concentration sensitivity in the parts-per-billion (ppb, parts in 10(9)) range. We demonstrate, for example, 40 ppb sensitivity to ethyl alcohol using poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) with a measurement time of 5 s.     

基于模场自积增强检测的光纤声光旋转传感器

介绍了一种应变不敏感的基于模场自积增强检测的光纤声光旋转传感器.通过调节加载到光纤声致光栅上的微波频率能使双模光纤输出高纯度LP_(11)模式.采用自积增强算法显著提高传感分辨比例,改善探测速度,实现对环境旋转角度变化的动态监测.传感器在0°—180°的测量范围内,角度最大测量误差范围小于11%;在轴向应变为100—1500με之间对应变不敏感.     

Nanostructured Polyelectrolyte-based System as a Toolbox for Metal Ions Detection

The capability of certain heavy metal ions to induce fluorescence decrease by a quenching mechanism suggested us to design and build a sensor potentially tunable for different ions at different concentrations. We propose a quenching-based sensor exploiting a nanostructured architecture in which fluorescent molecules (the sensing probe) are entrapped to recognize a specific analyte (heavy metal ions) through an optical transduction. The polyelectrolyte nanostructured system, named nanocapsule, improves the fluorophore-ion quenching sensitivity allowing a micromolar detection. Furthermore we couple our sensor with an electrical device in order to refine the sensing procedure: the electric field created allows a metal ions spatial gradient, necessary to detect a specific element on a single sample solution, avoiding a comparative analysis with an intensity reference value. Results obtained will show the advantages and the potentialities of our system as a smart toolbox for metal ions detection.     

Index-of-refraction sensors: virtually unlimited sensing power at the critical angle

In an effort to improve and simplify refractive index sensors, we identified a basic operation mode at the critical angle. Sensitivity to the refractive index is higher than in standard surface plasmon resonance sensors, and we have been able to demonstrate analytically that it is virtually an unbounded value. We describe this approach and submit a complete analytical study demonstrating its unlimited sensing power. To test the approach, we constructed an economical and basic sensor. Despite its simplicity, we demonstrated the discrimination capability to be of the order of 10(-6), as far as we know close to the best sensitivity ever recorded. This detection method is generally applicable to any optical system and may pave the way for the next generation of optical sensing devices.     

The study of electro-optical sensor based on slotted photonic crystal waveguide

A compact and sensitive electro-optical sensor based on slotted photonic crystal waveguide (S-PhCW) is demonstrated. The electro-optical sensor can be realized in photonic crystal (PhC) slabs of silicon in Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI). Nonlinear optical polymer is used as infiltration. By applying three-dimensional finite difference time domain (3D-FDTD), the sensitivity and quality factor of electro-optical sensor with different slotted waveguide width are calculated. In addition, sensitivity and the optical properties such as transmission spectrum and field distributions are compared between electro-optical sensor based on line defect photonic crystal waveguide (W1-PhCW) and that based on slotted photonic crystal waveguide (S-PhCW). Simulation results demonstrate that, compared with electro-optical sensor based on line defect photonic crystal waveguide, the sensitivity and quality factor is improved by 30 times and 6.6 times respectively in sensor based on slotted photonic crystal waveguide. Besides, the proposed PhC sensor devices have the advantage of a compact structure with the potential for monolithic integration with optical-to-electrical on-chip conversion and detection.     

Sensitivity and detection limit of dual-waveguide coupled microring resonator biosensors

We show that a linear relation exists between the device sensitivity and the quality （Q） factor of a dual- waveguide coupled microring resonator optical biosensor when the optimal conditions are satisfied. We also show that the detection limit depends on the loss coefficient and signal-to-nosie ratio （SNR） of the overall system, rather than the circumference of the ring. For a microring resonator sensor whose Q factor is 20000, the detection limit is found to be about 10-7 with 30-dB SNR, which is in good agreement with reported experimental data. These results indicate that loss reduction is the top priority in the design and fabrication of highly sensitive microring resonator optical biosensors.