Sensitivity and Limit of Detection of biosensors based on ring resonators

In this work, we present a study of the Sensitivity (S) and Limit of Detection (LOD) of microring based photonic biosensors as a function of the waveguide composition and dimensions. The target is Aflatoxin, which is a toxin of major concern for south Europe dairy industry. The sensing device is based on an array of multiple SiON microring resonators, fiber-coupled to both an 850 nm VCSEL and a silicon photodetectors, packaged with a microfluidic circuit. Volumetric sensing with glucose–water solutions of various concentrations yields a best sensitivity of 112 nm/RIU. To link these results to the Limit of Detection of the sensors, we also measured the noise of our experimental readout system and then calculated the LOD of our sensors. We found a best value of LOD of 1.6 × 10−6 RIU (referred to volumetric sensing). Finally, we detected Aflatoxin in solutions of various concentrations (down to 1.58 nM) by functionalized sensors. The functionalization is based on a wet silanization and specific DNA-aptamer binding on the chip. Reproducibility and re-usability of the sensor are investigated by several chemical treatments. Optimum procedure allows multiple sequential measurements with a good endurance. This work was supported by the FP7 EU project “Symphony” (Grant agreement no.: 610580).