Silicon-based photonic crystal fluorescence enhancement and laser line scanning instrument

摘要

A silicon-based photonic crystal includes a silicon substrate, a first dielectric with a grating structure formed therein, and a second dielectric with a higher index of refraction that covers at least a portion of the grating structure. The first dielectric can be formed on the silicon substrate, or a Fabry-Perot optical cavity can be formed between the silicon substrate and the first dielectric. An instrument can excite a fluorophore coupled to the photonic crystal by focusing collimated incident light that includes the fluorophore's excitation wavelength to a focal line on the surface of the photonic crystal such that the focal line is substantially parallel to the grating direction and can detect fluorescence radiation emitted by the fluorophore in response to the incident light. To provide for fluorescence enhancement, the excitation wavelength and/or emission wavelength of the fluorophore can couple to an optical resonance of the photonic crystal.

主权项

1. A photonic crystal structure, comprising:
a silicon substrate; a first dielectric having a first index of refraction, wherein the first dielectric has a first surface facing the silicon substrate and a second surface opposite the first surface, wherein the second surface has a grating structure formed therein; a second dielectric having a second index of refraction that is higher than the first index of refraction, wherein the second dielectric covers at least a portion of the grating structure such that the first and second dielectrics together define a photonic crystal having an optical resonance; and a Fabry-Perot optical cavity between the photonic crystal and the silicon substrate, wherein the Fabry-Perot optical cavity couples to the optical resonance of the photonic crystal.