title: Chalcogenide glass optical waveguides for infrared biosensing.
abstract: Due to the remarkable properties of chalcogenide (Chg) glasses, Chg optical waveguides should play a significant role in the development of optical biosensors. This paper describes the fabrication and properties of chalcogenide fibres and planar waveguides. Using optical fibre transparent in the mid-infrared spectral range we have developed a biosensor that can collect information on whole metabolism alterations, rapidly and in situ. Thanks to this sensor it is possible to collect infrared spectra by remote spectroscopy, by simple contact with the sample. In this way, we tried to determine spectral modifications due, on the one hand, to cerebral metabolism alterations caused by a transient focal ischemia in the rat brain and, in the other hand, starvation in the mouse liver. We also applied a microdialysis method, a well known technique for in vivo brain metabolism studies, as reference. In the field of integrated microsensors, reactive ion etching was used to pattern rib waveguides between 2 and 300 μm wide. This technique was used to fabricate Y optical junctions for optical interconnections on chalcogenide amorphous films, which can potentially increase the sensitivity and stability of an optical micro-sensor. The first tests were also carried out to functionalise the Chg planar waveguides with the aim of using them as (bio)sensors.
authors.affiliation: Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, UMR 6226, Equipe Verres & Céramiques, Université Rennes 1, 35042 Rennes, France; E-Mail:  Bruno.bureau@univ-rennes1.fr  (B.B.).
authors.forename: Marie-Laure
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Anne
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keirsse
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nazabal
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hyodo
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boussard-Pledel
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lhermite
authors.forename: Joël
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Charrier
authors.forename: Kiyoyuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yanakata
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Loreal
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Le Person
authors.forename: Florent
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Colas
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Compère
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bureau