Collaborative Research: PIC: Slow Wave Enhanced Electrooptically Tuned Michelson Interferometer Biosensor for On-Chip Dual Polarization Interferometry

合作研究：PIC：用于片上双偏振干涉测量的慢波增强型电光调谐迈克尔逊干涉仪生物传感器

• 批准号: 2210722
• 负责人: Bibhudutta Rout
• 金额: $ 16.03万
• 依托单位: University of North Texas
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2210722&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; PIC; Slow; Wave

The COVID pandemic of 2020 demonstrated the worldwide need for low-cost, highly sensitive, rapiddiagnostic testing of diverse pathogens. While silicon photonics enables such a highly multiplexed label-freesensing capability with extremely high sensitivities, a handheld low-cost silicon nanophotonic sensoris still missing. Fabrication imperfections have made photonic sensor implementations difficult with a fixedwavelength laser and a single detector. Photonic measurement variabilities also arise from bindinguncertainties in nanophotonic pillars and trenches. The fundamental work in this proposal employs a novelon-chip dual polarization interferometry technique that will reduce photonic measurement variability, andnovel circuit implementations to enable electrically driven and electrically readout low-cost on-chipnanophotonic sensors. The working principle of the device, and circuit implementations of the device toovercome fabrication and measurement limitations have not been previously demonstrated. The state-of-the-art photonic device fabrication capabilities at a 300 mm CMOS foundry, namely AIM Photonics, withmonolithically integrated passive and active electrically biased photonic components will be employed inthis project. The project will involve students in optics, engineering, materials science, and physics fromthe University of Dayton and the University of North Texas who will not only learn about cutting-edgeSTEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) research but also in computer aided designlayouts for foundry fabrication of next-generation co-integrated electronic-photonic devices. The projectwill also work with students and faculty in microbiology from the Dayton Early College Academy, andother middle and high school students in the greater Dayton, OH and Denton, TX areas. The handheldsensors will find applications in various domains of biological sensing for cancer diagnostics, infectiousdisease and opioid diagnostics, and environmental pollution monitoring as also in new drug discovery.The technical goals of this project will (a) demonstrate the principle of slow light enhanced interferometryon-chip; (b) investigate novel thin-film electro-optic phase shifters on silicon chip; (c) demonstrate on-chipreal time dual polarization interferometry; and (d) demonstrate an unprecedented fabrication tolerant siliconnanophotonic sensor operating in a compact package with electrical drive and electrical readout. Theprogram will expose students to interdisciplinary research encompassing lithography, photonics, electricalengineering, physics, biochemistry, and materials science. The project will culminate with the developmentof a USB-powered handheld optical biosensor kit. Project members will engage in science and technologyoutreach targeting middle and high school students in greater Dayton, OH and greater Denton, TX counties.Project activities will outreach to broaden the participation of minority students in STEM education andtraining. Students will be exposed to an innovation ecosystem with hands-on science and technologyexperience. Finally, the project will help to address the significant current need to build US-basedmanpower in the design and manufacturing of semiconductor chips.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

2020 年的新冠疫情大流行表明，全世界都需要对多种病原体进行低成本、高灵敏度、快速诊断检测。虽然硅光子能够实现如此高度多路复用且具有极高灵敏度的无标签传感能力，但仍然缺少手持式低成本硅纳米光子传感器。制造缺陷使得使用固定波长激光器和单个探测器实现光子传感器变得困难。光子测量的变异性还源于纳米光子柱和沟槽中的结合不确定性。该提案的基础工作采用了一种新颖的片上双偏振干涉测量技术，该技术将减少光子测量的可变性，以及新颖的电路实现，以实现电驱动和电读出低成本片上纳米光子传感器。该器件的工作原理以及该器件克服制造和测量限制的电路实现此前尚未得到证实。该项目将采用 300 mm CMOS 代工厂（即 AIM Photonics）最先进的光子器件制造能力，以及单片集成的无源和有源电偏置光子元件。该项目将涉及代顿大学和北德克萨斯大学光学、工程、材料科学和物理学专业的学生，​​他们不仅将学习尖端的 STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）研究，还将学习计算机辅助的知识下一代协同集成电子光子器件铸造制造的设计布局。该项目还将与代顿早期学院微生物学专业的学生和教师，以及俄亥俄州大代顿和德克萨斯州丹顿地区的其他中学生和高中生合作。手持式传感器将在癌症诊断、传染病和阿片类药物诊断、环境污染监测以及新药发现等生物传感的各个领域得到应用。该项目的技术目标将（a）展示慢光增强干涉测量的原理——芯片; (b) 研究硅芯片上的新型薄膜电光移相器； (c) 演示片上实时双偏振干涉测量； (d) 展示了一种前所未有的耐制造硅纳米光子传感器，其在紧凑的封装中运行，具有电驱动和电读出功能。该项目将使学生接触到光刻、光子学、电气工程、物理学、生物化学和材料科学等跨学科研究。该项目将最终开发出 USB 供电的手持式光学生物传感器套件。项目成员将针对俄亥俄州大代顿县和德克萨斯州大丹顿县的中学生和高中生开展科学和技术推广活动。项目活动将扩大少数族裔学生对 STEM 教育和培训的参与。学生将接触创新生态系统并获得科学技术实践经验。最后，该项目将有助于解决当前在半导体芯片设计和制造方面对美国人力建设的巨大需求。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查进行评估，被认为值得支持标准。