Evanescent field waveguide sensing with subwavelength grating structures in silicon-on-insulator

Opt Lett. 2014 Aug 1;39(15):4442-5. doi: 10.1364/OL.39.004442.

Abstract

We explore, to the best of our knowledge, the potential of diffractionless subwavelength grating waveguides for sensing applications. We show that by subwavelength patterning of silicon-wire waveguides the field delocalization can be engineered to increase the sensitivity. Fully vectorial 3D-FDTD simulations confirm the sensitivity enhancement, achieving sensitivities of 0.83 RIU/RIU and 1.5·10(-3) RIU/nm for bulk and surface sensing, respectively, which compare favorably to state-of-the-art sensing waveguides.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Electric Conductivity
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Light
  • Miniaturization
  • Radiometry / instrumentation*
  • Refractometry / instrumentation*
  • Scattering, Radiation
  • Silicon / chemistry*
  • Surface Plasmon Resonance / instrumentation*
  • Transducers

Substances

  • Silicon