(Plenary) Creating the Interface between the Universe and Data with Integrated Photonic Sensors

Abstract

We are in an exciting period in history, as advances in our understanding of biology tell us how networks of DNA, RNA, proteins, and other molecules influence human health and disease. In order to detect all these molecules, measure their concentrations, and convert that into data that can be accessed digitally, we need the appropriate interface: a sensor. This talk will discuss the ways we are developing new optical sensor systems that can be used as diagnostic systems in the clinical lab, at the point of care, and (eventually) at home. Achieving these goals requires advances in chemistry, materials science, optics, and the fabrication technologies to make it all work “at scale”, in a format that can go beyond the laboratory and into the commercial sphere.Integrated photonics is a particularly attractive option for building broadly useful sensor platforms. Here, the light source, sensing mechanism, and detection system are all in the same plane. As such, these sensors are small and simple enough that they could be incorporated into a cell phone. For the past five years, we have worked in partnership with the American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM Photonics) to establish designs and manufacturing strategies for photonic chemical and biological sensors. AIM is a public-private partnership established to develop US manufacturing capability in photonics. This talk will detail progress in demonstrating AIM Photonics’ fabrication capabilities in chemical and biological sensing, with a particular focus on rapid assays for SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19 disease.