Building blocks are provided for on-chip chemical sensors and other highly-compact photonic integrated circuits combining interband or quantum cascade lasers and detectors with passive waveguides and other components integrated on a III-V or silicon. A MWIR or LWIR laser source is evanescently coupled into a passive extended or resonant-cavity waveguide that provides evanescent coupling to a sample gas (or liquid) for spectroscopic chemical sensing. In the case of an ICL, the uppermost layer of this passive waveguide has a relatively high index of refraction that enables it to form the core of the waveguide, while the ambient air, consisting of the sample gas, functions as the top cladding layer. A fraction of the propagating light beam is absorbed by the sample gas if it contains a chemical species having a fingerprint absorption feature within the spectral linewidth of the laser emission.

Raman spectroscopy of chemical and biological samples can be accomplished with photonic sensors amenable to chip-scale integration. In various embodiments, such a photonic sensor includes first and second optical waveguides coupled via an optical ring resonator, the ring resonator configured to resonantly enhance, and selectively couple into the second optical waveguide, a Raman scattering signal generated, when the first waveguide and/or resonator are exposed to a sample, by interaction of an analyte in the sample with excitation light coupled into the first optical waveguide.

A photonic aerosol particle sensor includes a plurality of photonic waveguide resonators each having a photonic waveguide disposed along a separate waveguide resonator path and each photonic waveguide having a lateral waveguide width different than the waveguide width of other photonic waveguide resonators in the plurality. All waveguides in the plurality of photonic waveguide resonators have a common vertical thickness and are formed of a common photonic waveguide material. An optical input connection couples light into the waveguide resonators. A particle input conveys aerosol particles toward the waveguide resonators and an aerosol particle output conveys aerosol particles away from the waveguide resonators. At least one optical output connection is optically connected to accept light out of the plurality of photonic waveguide resonators to provide a signal indicative of at least one characteristic of the aerosol particles to be analyzed.

Methods and instruments for measuring a liquid sample (S1) in a well plate (50) by means of an optical chip 10. The chip (10) comprises an optical sensor (13) that is accessible to the liquid sample (S1) at a sampling area (SA) of the chip. A free-space optical coupler (11,12) is accessible to receive input light (L1) and/or emit output light (L2) via a coupling area (CA) of the chip (10). The sampling area (SA) of the chip 10 is submerged in the liquid sample (S1) while keeping the liquid sample (S1) away from the coupling area (CA) for interrogating the optical coupler (11,12) via an optical path (P) that does not pass through the liquid sample (S1).

Disclosed herein is a device (100) for multicolor optical imaging of a sample (102) with wavelength-dependent optical path length enhancement, the device (100) comprising an optical resonator (106) for enhancing an optical path length, wherein the optical resonator (106) has a first finesse at a first wavelength and a second finesse at a second wavelength; a sample holder (104) for mounting the sample (102) in the optical resonator (106), wherein the sample holder (104) is configured to hold the sample (102) such that an optical axis (112) of the optical resonator (106) intersects with the sample (102);a first imaging system (114) for imaging the sample (102) at the first wavelength with a first imaging technique, and a second imaging system (126) for imaging the sample (102) at the second wavelength with a second imaging technique, wherein the second wavelength is different from the first wavelength; wherein the first finesse and the second finesse are chosen such that the optical resonator (106) enhances a first image quality indicator of the imaging with the first imaging system (114) and a second image quality indicator of the imaging with the second imaging system (126).

An optical microtoroid resonator including one or more nanoparticles attached to a surface of the resonator and capable of receiving an input signal from a far-field source (via free-space transmission) and outputting light propagating within the optical apparatus. A method for coupling light into and out of an optical resonator using a nanoparticle or nanoparticles to interface with spatially separated far-field optical elements.

Disclosed is a structure (e.g., a lab-on-chip structure) including a substrate, an insulator layer on the substrate, and at least one optical ring resonator. Each ring resonator includes cladding material on the insulator layer and, embedded within the cladding material, a first waveguide core with an input and an output, and second waveguide core(s) (e.g., ring waveguide core(s)) positioned laterally adjacent to the first waveguide core. A reservoir is below the ring resonator within the insulator layer and substrate such that surfaces of the waveguide cores are exposed within the reservoir. During a sensing operation, the waveguide core surfaces contact with fluid within the reservoir and a light signal at the output of the first waveguide core is monitored (e.g., by a sensing circuit, which in some embodiments is also coupled to a reference optical ring resonator) and used, for example, for spectrum-based target identification and, optionally, characterization.

Disclosed is a structure (e.g., a lab-on-chip structure) including a substrate, an insulator layer on the substrate, and at least one optical ring resonator. Each ring resonator includes cladding material on the insulator layer and, embedded within the cladding material, a first waveguide core with an input and an output, and second waveguide core(s) (e.g., ring waveguide core(s)) positioned laterally adjacent to the first waveguide core. A reservoir is below the ring resonator within the insulator layer and substrate such that surfaces of the waveguide cores are exposed within the reservoir. During a sensing operation, the waveguide core surfaces contact with fluid within the reservoir and a light signal at the output of the first waveguide core is monitored (e.g., by a sensing circuit, which in some embodiments is also coupled to a reference optical ring resonator) and used, for example, for spectrum-based target identification and, optionally, characterization.

An a system and method for chaos transfer between multiple detuned signals in a resonator mediated by chaotic mechanical oscillation induced stochastic resonance where at least one signal is strong and where at least one signal is weak and where the strong and weak signal follow the same route, from periodic oscillations to quasi-periodic and finally to chaotic oscillations, as the strong signal power is increased.

Optical analytical devices and their methods of use are provided. The devices are useful in the analysis of highly multiplexed optical reactions in large numbers at high densities, including biochemical reactions, such as nucleic acid sequencing reactions. The devices include integrated illumination elements and optical waveguides for illumination of the optical reactions. The devices further provide for the efficient coupling of optical excitation energy from the waveguides to the optical reactions. Optical signals emitted from the reactions can thus be measured with high sensitivity and discrimination using features such as spectra, amplitude, and time resolution, or combinations thereof. The devices of the invention are well suited for miniaturization and high throughput.