A photonic nano-Bragg grating device integrated with microfluidic channels for bio-sensing applications

A photonic wire Bragg grating structure, integrated with fluidic channels and reservoirs for fluid sensing based on refractive index changes, has been designed using 3-D Finite Domain Time Difference (FDTD) method and fabricated using electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching on an Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) material. A scheme is developed where a Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic chip is integrated with the SOI photonic chip via a reversible active sealing method. The highest sensitivity (Delta n/Delta lambda) of the device is estimated to be 5.5 x 10(-3) nm(-1) and the volume of the sensing region is approximately 2 mu m(3). This device could be a potential candidate for lab-on-a-chip devices for bio-sensing applications. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.