title: Modeling of slot waveguide sensors based on polymeric materials.
abstract: Slot waveguides are very promising for optical sensing applications because of their peculiar spatial mode profile. In this paper we have carried out a detailed analysis of mode confinement properties in slot waveguides realized in very low refractive index materials. We show that the sensitivity of a slot waveguide is not directly related to the refractive index contrast of high and low materials forming the waveguide. Thus, a careful design of the structures allows the realization of high sensitivity devices even in very low refractive index materials (e.g., polymers) to be achieved. Advantages of low index dielectrics in terms of cost, functionalization and ease of fabrication are discussed while keeping both CMOS compatibility and integrable design schemes. Finally, applications of low index slot waveguides as substitute of bulky fiber capillary sensors or in ring resonator architectures are addressed. Theoretical results of this work are relevant to well established polymer technologies.
authors.affiliation: Nanoscience Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Trento, via Sommarive 14, 38123 Povo, Italy. bettotti@science.unitn.it
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bettotti
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pitanti
authors.forename: Eveline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rigo
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Leonardis
authors.forename: Vittorio M N
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Passaro
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pavesi
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D000465:Algorithms; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D004867:Equipment Design; D008027:Light; D008422:Materials Testing; D015233:Models, Statistical; D055100:Optical Fibers; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D012031:Refractometry; D012542:Scattering, Radiation
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers