Mach Zehnder photonic crystal sensors and methods

• US 20060066866A1
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Shih-Yuan, Islam, M. Saif, Bratkovski, Alex
• Granted Patent: US 7,289,221 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/481
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/45 using interferometric methods; using Schlieren methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/552 Attenuated total reflection

Abstract

A sensor apparatus includes a photonic crystal structure including a Mach Zehnder interferometer with a reference arm and a sensor arm configured to provide an evanescent field through a sensed medium region adjacent to the sensor arm.

Claims

1. A sensor apparatus comprising:

a photonic crystal structure including a Mach Zehnder interferometer with a reference arm and a sensor arm configured to provide an evanescent field through a sensed medium region adjacent to the sensor arm.

2. The sensor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the Mach Zehnder interferometer is passive.

3. The sensor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensed medium region is configured to receive a chemical or biological medium.

4. The sensor apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a phase shifter for the reference arm.

5. The sensor apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

means for optically coupling the photonic crystal structure to an optical fiber.

6. The sensor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the photonic crystal structure is formed from III-V semiconductor materials.

7. The sensor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the photonic crystal structure includes defects formed by nanoimprinting a pattern and etching the pattern.

8. A sensor apparatus comprising:

multiple sensor elements, each of the sensor elements including a photonic crystal Mach Zehnder interferometer with a reference arm and a sensor arm configured to provide an evanescent field through a sensed medium region adjacent to the sensor arm; and

mechanism for detecting outputs of the multiple sensor elements and converting the outputs into data.

9. The sensor apparatus of claim 8, wherein the means for detecting includes a photodetector.

10. The sensor apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for processing the data to identify articles of media provided to the sensed medium regions.

11. The sensor apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for transmitting the data.

12. The sensor apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

means for transmitting the data in response to an interrogation signal received by the sensor apparatus.

13. The sensor apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means for transmitting includes a radio-frequency identification (RF-ID) transponder.

14. The sensor apparatus of claim 8, wherein one or more of the photonic crystal Mach Zehnder interferometers is formed from III-V semiconductor materials.

15. The sensor apparatus of claim 8, wherein one or more of the photonic crystal Mach Zehnder interferometers includes defects formed by nanoimprinting a pattern and etching the pattern.

16. A method for sensing comprising:

providing a photonic crystal Mach Zehnder interferometer that generates an evanescent field through a sensed medium region;

providing an article of medium at the sensed medium region;

optically coupling a light source to an input of the photonic crystal Mach Zehnder interferometer; and

detecting an output of the photonic crystal Mach Zehnder interferometer.

17. The method for sensing of claim 16, wherein the article of medium is a chemical or biological medium.

18. The method for sensing of claim 16, further comprising:

processing data corresponding to the output.

19. The method for sensing of claim 16, further comprising:

processing data corresponding to the output to identify the article of medium.

20. The method for sensing of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting data corresponding to the output.

21. The method for sensing of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting data corresponding to the output in response to a sensor interrogation signal.