Utilizing embedded optofluidic sensors for flourescent detection measurements in space and time

Abstract

Integrated fluorescent waveguide biosensors have had a substantial impact on the field of biodetection. Many types of waveguide sensors have been developed, but most of them rely on evanescent field excitation of fluorophores, whose emission is then detected directly or indirectly. A sensor device which performs detection by measuring the fluorescent light that back-couples into the device was recently demonstrated. The work for this device did not compare the efficiency of their detection method with traditional detection methods, nor did they develop a rigorous theoretical model for understanding the efficiency of the device. Using finite difference time domain simulations and complementary experiments, we develop and verify a model which can predict the performance of the sensor in air and aqueous environments. Additionally, we perform spatiotemporal fluorescence measurements using the waveguide device which allow us to sample the magnitude of the fluorescence along the device at every point in space and time that we recorded.