Label-free biosensors on silicon-on-insulator optical chips based on microring cavities and surface plasmon interferometry

To come up to the demand for extremely sensitive biosensors for parallel real-time bioanalyses, we present two configurations of label-free biosensors on silicon-on-insulator optical chips. We discuss results on microring resonators and the design and fabrication of an integrated surface plasmon resonance interferometer. The high refractive index contrast material offers submicron-size features with high quality for dense integration, high sensitivity and detection with very low analyte volumes. Fabrication with deep UV lithography allows for mass production of cheap disposable biochips.