Integrated optical directional coupler sensor for pesticide analysis

Abstract

Integrated optical transducers for the measurement of interactions between biological molecules and the specific detection of chemical and biochemical species are the subject of growing interest. Targeted applications include environmental monitoring, industrial process control and medical diagnostics. Integrated optical devices are capable of delivering the high detection sensitivity achievable through optical techniques in a compact format, and offer the potential for the detection of several analytes simultaneously through the fabrication of multiple transducers on a single chip. Here we describe the use of a new type of integrated optical sensor applied to the detection of low concentrations of the pesticide atrazine in aqueous solution. The transducer is based on a planar waveguide directional coupler structure fabricated by Ag+-Na+ ion-exchange in a low-index glass substrate. This sensor has the advantage of differential outputs, which gives improved signal-to-noise characteristics and offers the potential for the simultaneous measurement of the real and imaginary parts of the refractive indices of bulk or thin-film analytes