title: Biosensing using porous silicon double-layer interferometers: reflective interferometric Fourier transform spectroscopy.
abstract: A simple, chip-based implementation of a double-beam interferometer that can separate biomolecules based on size and that can compensate for changes in matrix composition is introduced. The interferometric biosensor uses a double-layer of porous Si comprised of a top layer with large pores and a bottom layer with smaller pores. The structure is shown to provide an on-chip reference channel analogous to a double-beam spectrometer, but where the reference and sample compartments are stacked one on top of the other. The reflectivity spectrum of this structure displays a complicated interference pattern whose individual components can be resolved by fitting of the reflectivity data to a simple interference model or by fast Fourier transform (FFT). Shifts of the FFT peaks indicate biomolecule penetration into the different layers. The small molecule, sucrose, penetrates into both porous Si layers, whereas the large protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), only enters the large pores. BSA can be detected even in a large (100-fold by mass) excess of sucrose from the FFT spectrum. Detection can be accomplished either by computing the weighted difference in the frequencies of two peaks or by computing the ratio of the intensities of two peaks in the FFT spectrum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gillman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093-0358, USA.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pacholski
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sartor
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Sailor
authors.forename: Frédérique
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cunin
authors.forename: Gordon M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Miskelly
mesh_terms: D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D016062:Porosity; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared / Q000379:methods; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012825:Silicon