Angular spectrum detection instrument for label-free photonic crystal sensors.

An angular spectrum analysis system was demonstrated to monitor the optical resonant mode of a photonic crystal (PC) sensor comprised of a one-dimensional grating structure. Exposed to solutions with different refractive indices or adsorbed with biomaterials, the PC sensor exhibited changes of the optical resonant modes. The developed detection system utilized a focused laser beam to detect shifts of the resonant angle, and thereby allowed a kinetic analysis of chemical absorption. Such a detection apparatus offers an adjustable angular resolution and a tunable detection range for a wide variety of refractometric sensing applications. A limit of detection of 6.57×10(-5) refractive index unit has been observed. The instrument also offers an imaging capability of rapidly characterizing low-contrast samples deposited on the PC surface with a spatial resolution of 10 μm.