Lab-on-a-chip Biosensors Using Mid-Infrared Metasurfaces

Background:

The demand for sensitive and fast characterization of biological samples related to healthcare and environmental monitoring is expected to increase in the coming years. This need can be addressed by photonic metasurfaces which are two-dimensional metamaterials consisting of subwavelength nanoantennas or often called meta-atoms. The geometry of these meta-atoms can be engineered to tightly focus mid-infrared light into nanoscale volumes, where the electromagnetic fields can strongly interact with molecules and amplify their chemically specific infrared absorption signals. This label-free chemical detection method is called Surface-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy. In our latest papers, we demonstrate the versatility of this powerful sensing method in laboratory settings. The next challenge in this exciting field is to eliminate the need for expensive and bulky instrumentation, as they are not suited for point-of-care applications at on-site settings.

Summary:

The aim of this project is to bring metasurface-based Mid-IR sensors closer to real-world applications by implementing a lab-on-a-chip sensing scheme using comparably low-cost, compact, and readily available broadband mid-IR light sources and detectors. The construction of the setup will require the investigation of various optical configurations and components that lead to the best overall performance. Following of this optical characterization, the sensing of relevant biological samples is planned. This can involve integration with microfluidic components, advanced data processing algorithms, setup automation, or the detailed analysis of some specific biological systems.

Supervisors:

• Prof. Hatice Altug (hatice.altug@epfl.ch)
• Felix Richter (felix.richter@epfl.ch)
• Aleksandrs Leitis (aleksandrs.leitis@epfl.ch)