Gas sensing using polymer-functionalized deformable Fabry–Perot interferometers

We report a chemical vapor sensor in which polymer swelling, upon analyte absorption, is used to deform an on-chip silicon Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI). The magnitude of the deformation, recorded through the resonance wavelength shift, is proportional to the analyte concentration in accordance w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical Chemical, 2013-06, Vol.182, p.45-52
Main Authors: St-Gelais, Raphael, Mackey, Gillian, Saunders, John, Zhou, Jingjing, Leblanc-Hotte, Antoine, Poulin, Alexandre, Barnes, Jack A., Loock, Hans-Peter, Brown, R. Stephen, Peter, Yves-Alain
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
absorption
deformation
detection limit
Fabry–Perot interferomer
Gas sensing
Polymer swelling
polymers
silicon
Silicon micromachining
vapors
Volatile organic compound
volatile organic compounds
wavelengths
xylene
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Summary:We report a chemical vapor sensor in which polymer swelling, upon analyte absorption, is used to deform an on-chip silicon Fabry–Perot interferometer (FPI). The magnitude of the deformation, recorded through the resonance wavelength shift, is proportional to the analyte concentration in accordance with a simplified analytical model and with finite element simulations. Conventional and phenyl-doped polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymers are used to functionalize different interferometers, which are tested for the detection of two volatile organic compounds, i.e. m-xylene and cyclohexane. The detection of m-xylene concentrations down to 34ppm—limited by our flow-meter setup—is achieved experimentally. Based on the sensitivities and the noise characteristics of the devices, limits of detection (LODs) of 1.6ppm m-xylene and 6.3ppm cyclohexane are expected.
ISSN:0925-4005
1873-3077
DOI:10.1016/j.snb.2013.02.016