Mach Zehnder photonic crystal sensors and methods
View Patent ↗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.
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, the sensed medium region being part of the photonic crystal structure.
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, each of the sensed medium regions being part of a photonic crystal structure of the photonic crystal Mach Zehnder interferometer; 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 (RE-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 which is part of a photonic crystal structure of the photonic crystal Mach Zehnder interferometer;
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.