Ultrasensitive optofluidic coupled Fabry–Perot capillary sensors

Abstract

Refractive index (RI) measurements are pertinent in concentration and biomolecular detection. Accordingly, an ultrasensitive optofluidic coupled Fabry–Perot (FP) capillary sensor based on the Vernier effect for RI sensing is proposed. Square capillaries integrated with the coupled FP microcavity provide multiple microfluidic channels while reducing the complexity of the fabrication process. The incoherent light source and spectrometer used during measurement facilitate the development of a low-cost sensing system. An ultrahigh RI sensitivity of 51709.0 nm/RIU and detection limit of 2.84 × 10−5 RIU are experimentally demonstrated, indicating acceptable RI sensing performance. The proposed sensor has significant potential for practical and low-cost applications such as RI, concentration, or biomolecular sensing.