Arrays of resonant nanopillars for biochemical sensing.

In this Letter, we demonstrate for the first time the experimental capability for the biochemical sensing of resonant nanopillars (RNPs) arrays. These arrays are fabricated over a glass substrate and are optically integrated from the backside of this substrate. The reflectivity profiles of the RNPs arrays are measured by infiltrating different ethanol fractions in water in order to evaluate the optical response for the different refractive indexes, which range from 1.330 to 1.342. A linear fit of the resonant modes shift is observed as a function of the bulk refractive index of the liquid infiltrated. For the type of transducer analyzed, a relative sensitivity of 10017 cm(-1)/Refractive Index Unit (RIU) is achieved, allowing us to reach a competitive Limit of Detection (LoD) in the order of 1×10(-5) RIU.

Sub-micrometric reflectometry for localized label-free biosensing.

In this work we present an optical technique for characterizing sub-micrometric areas based on reflectivity of the light as a function of angle of incidence for the two pure polarizations s and p, covering a range of angles of incidence from -71.80° to 71.80° with a resolution of 0.1°. Circular areas with a diameter in the order of 600 nm can be characterized, and the spectra for the two polarizations can be obtained with a single measurement. For biosensing purposes, we have fabricated several Bio Photonic Sensing Cells (BICELLs) consisting of interferometers of 1240 nm of SU-8 polymer over silicon. An indirect immunoassay is performed over these BICELLs and compared experimentally with FT-VIS-NIR spectrometry and theoretical calculations. The Limit of Detection (LoD) achieved is comparable with standard high resolution spectrometry, but with the capability of analyzing sub-micrometric domains for immunoassays reactions onto a sensing surface.

Bio-Photonic Sensing Cells over transparent substrates for anti-gestrinone antibodies biosensing.

In a previous work we introduced the term Bio-Photonic Sensing Cells (BICELLs), referred to periodic networks of nano-pillar suitable for biosensing when are vertically interrogated. In this article, we demonstrate the biosensing capabilities of a type of micrometric size BICELLs made of SU-8 nano-pillars fabricated over transparent substrates. We verify the biochips functionality comparing the theoretical simulations with the experimental results when are optically interrogated in transmission. We also demonstrate a sensitivity enhancement by reducing the pitch among nano-pillars from 800 to 700 nm. Thus, the Limit of Detection achievable in these types of BICELLs is in the order of 64 pg/mL for 700 nm in pitch among nano-pillars in comparison with 292 pg/mL for 800 nm in pitch when are interrogated by Fourier Transform Visible and Infrared Spectrometry. The experiments exhibited a good reproducibility with a relative standard deviation of 0.29% measured within 8 days for a specific concentration. Finally, BICELLs functionality was tested in real conditions with unpurified rabbit serum for detecting anti-gestrinone antibodies, demonstrating the high performance of this type of BICELLs to detect specific antibodies having immobilized the suitable bioreceptors onto the sensing surface.

Label-free biosensing by means of periodic lattices of high aspect ratio SU-8 nano-pillars.

We developed biophotonic sensing arrays of 60x60 microm(2) made of periodic lattices of high aspect ratio SU-8 nano-pillars in order to demonstrate their capability for label-free molecule detection, as well as the sensitivity enhancement in comparison with a single layer of SU-8. The biophotonic sensing arrays, that we call BICELLs (Biophotonic sensing cells), are interrogated vertically by using micron spot size Fourier transform visible and IR spectrometry (FT-VIS-IR). We monitored the surface immobilization of bovine serum albumin (BSA) antigen and anti-BSA antibody (aBSA) recognition. The bioassay exhibits a limit of detection (LOD) in the order of 2 ng/ml limited by the wavenumber uncertainty during the interrogation process. We also estimated and compared the theoretical biolayer thickness with previous results.