1/f-noise-free optical sensing with an integrated heterodyne interferometer

Optical evanescent sensors can non-invasively detect unlabeled nanoscale objects in real time with unprecedented sensitivity, enabling a variety of advances in fundamental physics and biological applications. However, the intrinsic low-frequency noise therein with an approximately 1/ f -shaped spect...

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Veröffentlicht in:Nature communications 2021-03, Vol.12 (1), p.1973-7, Article 1973
Hauptverfasser: Jin, Ming, Tang, Shui-Jing, Chen, Jin-Hui, Yu, Xiao-Chong, Shu, Haowen, Tao, Yuansheng, Chen, Antony K., Gong, Qihuang, Wang, Xingjun, Xiao, Yun-Feng
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Optical evanescent sensors can non-invasively detect unlabeled nanoscale objects in real time with unprecedented sensitivity, enabling a variety of advances in fundamental physics and biological applications. However, the intrinsic low-frequency noise therein with an approximately 1/ f -shaped spectral density imposes an ultimate detection limit for monitoring many paramount processes, such as antigen-antibody reactions, cell motions and DNA hybridizations. Here, we propose and demonstrate a 1/ f -noise-free optical sensor through an up-converted detection system. Experimentally, in a CMOS-compatible heterodyne interferometer, the sampling noise amplitude is suppressed by two orders of magnitude. It pushes the label-free single-nanoparticle detection limit down to the attogram level without exploiting cavity resonances, plasmonic effects, or surface charges on the analytes. Single polystyrene nanobeads and HIV-1 virus-like particles are detected as a proof-of-concept demonstration for airborne biosensing. Based on integrated waveguide arrays, our devices hold great potentials for multiplexed and rapid sensing of diverse viruses or molecules. Suppressing 1/f-shaped low-frequency noise is critical but fundamentally challenging to both electrical and optical transducers. Here, the authors demonstrate a 1/f-noise-free optical sensor with integrated CMOS-compatible heterodyne interferometer and an upconversion amplifying technique, which suppresses the noise by two orders of magnitude.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-021-22271-4