Chip-scale humidity sensor based on a silicon nanobeam cavity

In this Letter, a novel humidity sensor based on a chip-scale silicon nanobeam cavity with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) cladding is demonstrated. This sensor is easy to fabricate and compatible with CMOS technology. It shows a humidity sensing with a linear wavelength dependence of 22.9 pm/% relative humidity (RH) in a wide range of RH from 10% to 85%, an ultra-fast response time of 540 ms, and high stability. After annealing, the sensor exhibits high reversibility, repeatability, and temperature insensitivity at the range of 25°C–40°C. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of integrated photonics in high performance humidity detection. It provides a new way for the chip-scale sensor to integrate with photonic devices and optical systems.