Design of a high-sensitivity polymer double-slot waveguide sensor for point-of-care biomedical applications

Silicon photonics is a rapidly developing field that offers cost-effective biosensors with improved sensitivity and the potential for interconnecting with other electronic devices for instant disease diagnosis. The Mach Zehnder interferometer architecture (MZI) is a key technology for biosensors, as it detects changes in refractive index (RI) caused by the presence of biomolecules. In this study, a silicon-polymer double-slot waveguide-based MZI was designed, with a small mode area and a large evanescent field to enhance light-analyte interaction. The waveguide was optimized by converting a normal slot waveguide into a double-slot waveguide with varying slot widths. In transmission spectrum, the wavelength shift was measured for both normal and disease samples. Additionally, the loss at a specific wavelength was analyzed to understand the impact of the biomolecule on the sensor performance. The results show that this sensor has a high sensitivity of 2.39 X10^5 nm/RIU, making it a promising candidate for biosensing applications.