Slow-light enhanced optical detection in liquid-infiltrated photonic crystals

TL;DR

This paper theoretically demonstrates that liquid-infiltrated photonic crystals can significantly enhance optical detection by leveraging slow-light effects and high energy filling factors, potentially improving lab-on-a-chip sensors.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework showing how slow-light and high filling factors in photonic crystals enhance optical absorbance for detection applications.

Findings

Absorbance can be increased by up to an order of magnitude.

Strong dispersive photonic structures improve light-matter interaction.

Potential applications in miniaturized optical detection systems.

Abstract

Slow-light enhanced optical detection in liquid-infiltrated photonic crystals is theoretically studied. Using a scattering-matrix approach and the Wigner-Smith delay time concept, we show that optical absorbance benefits both from slow-light phenomena as well as a high filling factor of the energy residing in the liquid. Utilizing strongly dispersive photonic crystal structures, we numerically demonstrate how liquid-infiltrated photonic crystals facilitate enhanced light-matter interactions, by potentially up to an order of magnitude. The proposed concept provides strong opportunities for improving existing miniaturized absorbance cells for optical detection in lab-on-a-chip systems.