Integrated optical devices for lab‐on‐a‐chip biosensing applications

TLDR

Portable, highly sensitive lab‑on‑a‑chip biosensing devices promise real‑time diagnosis advantages over conventional methods, and integrated optics‑based sensors are ideal for miniaturization, extreme sensitivity, robustness, multiplexing, and low‑cost mass production. This review offers an extended overview of the state‑of‑the‑art integrated photonic biosensors, covering interferometers, grating couplers, microring resonators, photonic crystals, and other novel nanophotonic transducers. It discusses each device’s real biosensing applications, compares their sensing performances, and outlines the steps toward operational lab‑on‑a‑chip platforms incorporating these photonic sensors. The review concludes with remarks on the future prospects and potential impact of integrated photonic biosensing technology.

Abstract

Abstract The application of portable, easy‐to‐use and highly sensitive lab‐on‐a‐chip biosensing devices for real‐time diagnosis could offer significant advantages over current analytical methods. Integrated optics‐based biosensors have become the most suitable technology for lab‐on‐chip integration due to their ability for miniaturization, their extreme sensitivity, robustness, reliability, and their potential for multiplexing and mass production at low cost. This review provides an extended overview of the state‐of‐the‐art in integrated photonic biosensors technology including interferometers, grating couplers, microring resonators, photonic crystals and other novel nanophotonic transducers. Particular emphasis has been placed on describing their real biosensing applications and wherever possible a comparison of the sensing performances between each type of device is included. The way towards achieving operative lab‐on‐a‐chip platform incorporating the photonic biosensors is also reviewed. Concluding remarks regarding the future prospects and potential impact of this technology are also provided.