Abstract

In this paper we will give a short overview of evanescent field waveguide sensors in the context of requirements of a viable label-free molecular sensor for biological applications. We present recent theoretical and experimental results on silicon photonic wire evanescent field (PWEF) sensors that show such PWEF sensors have the highest response to bulk index change as well as surface molecular adsorption. Given ongoing development in waveguide circuit design and coupling methods, silicon waveguide technology may be the most promising route towards a monolithically integrated multi-sensor array based on evanescent field sensor technology. Such sensor array integration is an essential requirement for any molecular sensor tool for genomic and proteomic applications.

© 2007 Optical Society of America