Coated optical microcavity resonator chemical sensor
AssigneeThe Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
InventorsHaig Charles Tapalian, Juha-Pekka Laine
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Abstract
A miniaturized chemical sensor features an optical microcavity coated with a surface layer, and a waveguide that evanescently couples light into the microcavity. The surface layer is adapted to chemically interact with one or more molecule species in a chemical vapor surrounding the microcavity, so as to alter the evanescent light coupling between the optical microcavity and the waveguide. The chemical interaction causes a change in the index of refraction of the microcavity, resulting in a measurable phase difference readout. The refractive index sensitivity is substantially increased, because of the high Q-value of the optical microcavity.
Claims24
An optical resonator sensor, comprising:
- A. a substrate;
- B. an optical waveguide having an input end and an output end, said waveguide being adapted for transmitting optical radiation incident on said input end to said output end;
- C. at least one optical microcavity constructed and arranged so as to optically interact with optical radiation propagating through said optical waveguide;
- wherein said optical microcavity includes at least one surface layer adapted to interact with at least one molecule species so as to alter the optical interaction between said optical microcavity and said waveguide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.