Design and Performance Analysis of Photonic Crystal Waveguide for Bio Chemical Sensing Applications

Abstract

The consistent progress of electronic equipments in different fields, especially in control technology has brought a positive impact on communication and sensing technology. Fiber optic technology has historically dominated the communication field and recently tending towards the sensing field. Sensing devices are underway to build their own optical devices in place of electronic devices due to selectivity and specificity. Derived from the same fiber optic sensor family, photonic crystal (PC) sensor technology is rapid, pathogen-specific, and does not require chemical modification of the test sample. PCs offer the possibility of controlling and manipulating light by opening a gap in the waveguide within a given range of frequencies and it may hold the key to the continued progress. In this thesis, we proposed different PC sensor designs to exploit the applications in the field of biochemical such as chemicals and food testing. Photonic crystal waveguide (PCW) design for chemical concentration detection is performed on sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as they are highly useful in industrial and research applications. Design of PCW for foodborne pathogen detection is performed on Escherichia coli (E. coli) as it is one of the most dangerous agent of foodborne diseases. Various semiconductor materials and insulator with higher to lower refractive indices (Si, GaAs, Si3N4, and SiO2) are analyzed to fix the choice of material for PCW design. The design and analysis are performed using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation method. The design exhibits two inverted J-shaped defects with center cavity designed in the shape of E. coli. In this research, DH5and#945; strain of E. coli foodborne pathogen is considered as a model due to its shape. Simulation of PCW design is performed using infrared radiation wavelengths. Simulation analysis reports larger resonance wavelength shifts, higher sensitivities, and quality factors for Si-based PCW biosensor at an operating wavelength of 1.55 and#956;m.