Speaker: Prof. Ray Chen, University of Texas-Austin
Abstract: We experimentally demonstrate a myriad of devices on the silicon nanmomembrane based photonic crystal platforms for chip-integrated optical absorption spectroscopy and chip-integrated biomolecular microarray assays. Infrared optical absorption spectroscopy and biomolecular assays based on conjugate-specific binding principles represent two dominant sensing mechanisms for a wide spectrum of applications in environmental pollution sensing in air and water, chem-bio agents and explosives detection for national security, microbial contamination sensing in food and beverages to name a few. The easy scalability of photonic crystal devices to any wavelength ensures that the sensing principles hold across a wide electromagnetic spectrum. Silicon, the work horse of the electronics industry, is an ideal platform for the above optical sensing applications.