On the performance of label-free resonant photonic biosensors

International Conference and Exhibition on Biosensors & Bioelectronics

May 14-16, 2012 Embassy Suites Las Vegas, USA

Mani Hossein-Zadeh

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Biosens Bioelectron

Abstract :

Resonant photonic biosensing is a powerful technique for label-free detection of biomolecules and viruses. Specifically during the past 5 years photonic biosensning using high quality factor (high-Q) optical microresonators has been the subject of intensive research and development. High-Q optical resonance in micron and sub-micron scale provides a sensitive transduction mechanism for generating a detectable signal proportional to the molecular binding events in label-free affinity based assays. A plethora of microresonator based photonic biosensors have been demonstrated that translate the surface density of bound molecules to measurable changes in optical transmission spectrum using resonant frequency shift. Although a large volume of research has been dedicated to different designs, sensitivity improvement in specific configurations and in few cases simple analysis of the performance, less effort has been spent on developing a comprehensive framework for comparing the practical performance of resonant photonic biosensors as an important class of biosensors. Here after a brief review of the fundamental principles of photonic biosensing using microresonators and related devices, we present a framework for a fair comparison of different devices and sensor configurations. Specifically we explore the detection limit,\ dynamic range and noise in resonant photonic biosensors. This analysis covers Whispering-Gallery microresonators, monolithic microring cavities, gratings, photonic crystals and microcapillaries. The proposed approach also lays the ground for the development of a universal framework that also includes microelectronic and micromechanical biosensors.

Biography :

Hossein-Zadeh obtained his PhD in Electrical Engineering-Electrophysics from the University of Southern California (2004) where he was a Research Assistant with the Advanced Electronic and Photonic Technology Lab. From 2005 to 2008, he was a Postdoctoral Scholar with Applied Physics lab at California Institute of Technology. His research has been focused on physics and applications of high-Q optical microresonators. Specifically he studies the application of resonant electro-optical and opto-mechanical interaction in communication and biosensing. He is the recipient of NSF career award and currently is an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of New Mexico.