Highly Sensitive Refractive Index-Based Sensor for DNA Hybridization Using Subwavelength Grating Waveguide

Abstract

A biosensor for detecting DNA hybridization via refractive index sensing has been demonstrated using a subwavelength grating (SWG) waveguide. Waveguide dimensions are selected by parametric optimizations to increase the mode-analyte overlap with considerations of typical silicon-on-insulator fabrications technology. DNA layer is added with a linker layer on silicon pillars of the SWG waveguide to optimize and detect the DNA hybridization. Some essential characteristics such as mode overlap factor, change in effective refractive index, waveguide sensitivity, and shift in resonance wavelength are computed for the different dimensional parameters of the SWG waveguide in DNA hybridization along with mode field intensity and normalized power using the finite element method. The DNA hybridization is shown by variation in normalized power of interacting light in cladding region of the waveguide for 0% to 100% fractional change of dsDNA and ssDNA. Waveguide sensitivity, shift in resonance wavelength, device sensitivity, and intrinsic limit of detection are obtained to ∼ 0.157, 7.01, 605 nm/RIU, and 1.30 × 10⁻⁴ RIU, respectively, for the optimized structure of SWG waveguide in sensing of DNA hybridization, which could be suitable aspects for detecting DNA hybridization.

KEYWORDS:

• Biosensor
• DNA hybridization
• Photonic integrated circuits
• Refractive index sensor
• Silicon photonics
• SWG waveguide

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Project Implementation Unit-Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India via TEQIP Collaborative Research Scheme [ID-1-5764084542].

Notes on contributors

Rukmani Singh

Rukmani Singh is a PhD student in Department of Electronics Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, India. She is also working as a temporary assistant professor in Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Madan Mohan Malviya University of Technology, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. She completed MTech from Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad, India, in 2017 and the BTech from Sri Ramswaroop Memorial College of Engineering and Management, Lucknow, India, in 2014. She is student member of IEEE, OSA and SPIE. Her research interests are application of silicon photonics in biomedical, optoelectronics, optical waveguide, silicon nanowire and its applications, optical sensors and optical devices.

Vishnu Priye

Vishnu Priye is currently director of Indian Institution of Information Technology, Ranchi, India, and he is retired as a Professor from Electronics Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines), Dhanbad (on deputation) in July 2021. He is senior member of IEEE. He joined IIT (ISM) as an assistant professor in March 1999. Before joining IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, he was Senior Scientist in Technology Mission Project on Fiber Optic Components, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi from May 1996 to 24 March 1999. Prior to that, he was on Japanese Government Scholarship at Electronics and Information Science Department at Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan from October 1991 to March 1996. He was awarded Doctor of Engineering from that Institute. He was awarded Ph D in 1990 from IIT Delhi for working in the field of fiber optic communication. He was a visiting scholar at Electronics and Information Science Department at Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan from 1 June 2001, to 31 August 2001, and Univ. of Colarodo, USA from June 1, to 31 August 2013. He is author of about hundred professional papers in international journals and international conferences of repute. He has developed and patented software EDFAsim for modeling erbium doped fiber amplifiers and has also authored two books. Email: [email protected]

Devendra Chack

Devendra Chack is an assistant professor at Department of Electronics Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad. He received his bachelor of engineering degree in electronics engineering from Madhav Institute of Technology and Science (MITS) Gwalior, India. He received MTech and PhD degrees from the Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad, India. His research interest includes on-chip silicon photonics and optical communication. He is currently handling research projects in the capacity of a principal investigator and co-principal investigator sponsored from different funding agencies like Science and Engineering Research Board SERB/DST, BRNS/DAE and TEQIP-III. He is an active member of IEEE, OSA, SPIE, IETE and OSI. He is also faculty-advisor of SPIE student chapter IIT (ISM) Dhanbad. He is a reviewer of many journals and conferences, such as the IEEE, OSA, IOP, SPIE, Elsevier publication. Email: [email protected]