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This invention is a surface smoothing method for microtoroid optical resonators, resulting in ultrasensitive detection and reduced scattering loss when looking for key biomarkers.
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Microcavity Surface Bioconjugation Using Unilamellar Lipid Membranes For Label Free, Ultrasensitive Detection Tech ID: UA19-073 Invention: This invention outlines a new way of preparing a microtoroid optical resonator for the purpose of detecting amyloid-β plaque. Traditional ways of surface functionalization leave roughness on the optical resonator, making it difficult to achieve a higher Q-factor. This invention provides a new way of smoothing the surface of a resonator so that ultrasensitive detection can be achieved, providing high Q-factors as well as reduced scattering loss which is important when detecting key biomarkers such as amyloid-β. This has potential application in biomarker detection for patients with COVID-19, as well as vaccine research. Background: Optical resonators are a key component of biosensors that are used in many different applications. However, the resonator has to have a smooth surface to allow the capture of light at different wavelengths. The ability of a resonator to capture light effectively is referred to as its Q-factor (quality factor). Traditional ways of smoothing the surface of a resonator still leave too much residual roughness that leads to a lower q-factor, and thus less accurate detection of biomarkers.
Key Benefits
- Achieves better surface smoothness for an optical resonator - Better Q-factor, longer wavelengths - Better for the detection of biomarkers - Validated in Alzheimer's use case
Applications
- Biomarker detection for healthcare diagnostics and drug development - Defense/security applications to detect explosives, chemical weapons, drugs - Environmental biosensors for air/water quality - Detection of disease in agricultural/food products