Optimized waveguides for mid-infrared lab-on-chip systems: A rigorous design approach

TL;DR

This paper introduces a systematic design approach for mid-infrared waveguides in lab-on-chip systems, enabling optimized sensor performance and fair comparison of different material platforms for molecular detection.

Contribution

A rigorous waveguide design methodology is developed, allowing for optimal material and dimension selection for mid-infrared sensing applications.

Findings

Enables comparison of various waveguide materials using parametric expressions.

Identifies optimal waveguide dimensions and absorption pathlengths.

Predicts detection limits for different waveguide configurations.

Abstract

Mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy is a well-established technique for non-destructive quantitative molecular analysis. Waveguide-integrated sensors provide a particularly compact solution operating with reduced sample volumes while exhibiting exquisite molecular selectivity, sensitivity, and ultra-low limits of detection. Recent advances in mid-infrared technologies along with the integration of on-chip sources, detectors and microfluidics, have brought mid-infrared lab-on-chip systems closer to reality. A variety of material platforms has been proposed for the implementation of such systems. However, the lack of a consistent waveguide design approach renders a fair comparison between different alternatives - and a deliberate material selection - challenging, limiting the development of optimized on-chip spectroscopic devices. In the present study, a systematic waveguide design approach has been developed, facilitating evanescent field absorption-based sensing, in particular for aqueous analytes. Our strategy enables a rigorous comparison of several state-of-the-art thin-film waveguides using parametric expressions to predict the achievable limits of detection of the sensing system, while indicating optimum waveguide dimensions and absorption pathlengths, pivotal for the development of next-generation mid-infrared lab-on-chip devices.