Design of simultaneous high-Q and high-sensitivity photonic crystal refractive index sensors

• DOI: 10.1364/josab.30.002027
• Publication Date: 2013-07-02T19:32:04Z
• Authors: Daquan Yang; Huiping Tian; Yuefeng Ji; Qimin Quan
• Keywords: 0103 physical sciences; 01 natural sciences

Sensitivities (S) and quality factors (Q) have been trade-offs in label-free optical resonator sensors, and optimal geometry that maximizes both factors is under active development. In this paper, we demonstrate that the nanoslotted parallel multibeam cavity possesses unexplored high S and high Q. We achieve S>800 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) and Q>107 in liquid at telecom wavelength range when absorption is neglected. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first geometry that features both high S and Q factors, and thus is potentially an ideal platform for refractive index-based biochemical sensing.