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Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Jan 2022In recent years, the biosensor research community has made rapid progress in the development of nanostructured materials capable of amplifying the interaction between... (Review)
Review
In recent years, the biosensor research community has made rapid progress in the development of nanostructured materials capable of amplifying the interaction between light and biological matter. A common objective is to concentrate the electromagnetic energy associated with light into nanometer-scale volumes that, in many cases, can extend below the conventional Abbé diffraction limit. Dating back to the first application of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for label-free detection of biomolecular interactions, resonant optical structures, including waveguides, ring resonators, and photonic crystals, have proven to be effective conduits for a wide range of optical enhancement effects that include enhanced excitation of photon emitters (such as quantum dots, organic dyes, and fluorescent proteins), enhanced extraction from photon emitters, enhanced optical absorption, and enhanced optical scattering (such as from Raman-scatterers and nanoparticles). The application of photonic metamaterials as a means for enhancing contrast in microscopy is a recent technological development. Through their ability to generate surface-localized and resonantly enhanced electromagnetic fields, photonic metamaterials are an effective surface for magnifying absorption, photon emission, and scattering associated with biological materials while an imaging system records spatial and temporal patterns. By replacing the conventional glass microscope slide with a photonic metamaterial, new forms of contrast and enhanced signal-to-noise are obtained for applications that include cancer diagnostics, infectious disease diagnostics, cell membrane imaging, biomolecular interaction analysis, and drug discovery. This paper will review the current state of the art in which photonic metamaterial surfaces are utilized in the context of microscopy.
Topics: Biosensing Techniques; Microscopy; Optics and Photonics; Photons; Surface Plasmon Resonance
PubMed: 35161831
DOI: 10.3390/s22031086 -
Nature Communications Jun 2022When pursuing sustainable approaches to fabricate photonic structures, nature can be used as a source of inspiration for both the nanoarchitecture and the constituent...
When pursuing sustainable approaches to fabricate photonic structures, nature can be used as a source of inspiration for both the nanoarchitecture and the constituent materials. Although several biomaterials have been promised as suitable candidates for photonic materials and pigments, their fabrication processes have been limited to the small to medium-scale production of films. Here, by employing a substrate-free process, structurally coloured microparticles are produced via the confined self-assembly of a cholesteric cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) suspension within emulsified microdroplets. Upon drying, the droplets undergo multiple buckling events, which allow for greater contraction of the nanostructure than predicted for a spherical geometry. This buckling, combined with a solvent or thermal post-treatment, enables the production of dispersions of vibrant red, green, and blue cellulose photonic pigments. The hierarchical structure of these pigments enables the deposition of coatings with angular independent colour, offering a consistent visual appearance across a wide range of viewing angles.
Topics: Cellulose; Nanoparticles; Nanostructures; Optics and Photonics; Photons
PubMed: 35697688
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31079-9 -
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2018Thanks to advanced semiconductor microfabrication technology, chip-scale integration and miniaturization of lab-on-a-chip components, silicon-based optical biosensors... (Review)
Review
Thanks to advanced semiconductor microfabrication technology, chip-scale integration and miniaturization of lab-on-a-chip components, silicon-based optical biosensors have made significant progress for the purpose of point-of-care diagnosis. In this review, we provide an overview of the state-of-the-art in evanescent field biosensing technologies including interferometer, microcavity, photonic crystal, and Bragg grating waveguide-based sensors. Their sensing mechanisms and sensor performances, as well as real biomarkers for label-free detection, are exhibited and compared. We also review the development of chip-level integration for lab-on-a-chip photonic sensing platforms, which consist of the optical sensing device, flow delivery system, optical input and readout equipment. At last, some advanced system-level complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) chip packaging examples are presented, indicating the commercialization potential for the low cost, high yield, portable biosensing platform leveraging CMOS processes.
Topics: Biosensing Techniques; Equipment Design; Interferometry; Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; Miniaturization; Optics and Photonics; Photons; Silicon
PubMed: 30340405
DOI: 10.3390/s18103519 -
Optics Express Jun 2022We propose an approach to generate neuron-like spikes of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) by multi-frequency switching. A stable temporal spiking sequence...
We propose an approach to generate neuron-like spikes of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) by multi-frequency switching. A stable temporal spiking sequence has been realized both by numerical simulations and experiments with a pulse width of sub-nanosecond, which is 8 orders of magnitude faster than ones from biological neurons. Moreover, a controllable spiking coding scheme using multi-frequency switching is designed and a sequence with 20 symbols is generated at the speed of up to 1 Gbps by experiment. Furthermore, we investigate the factors related to time delay of spiking generation, including injection strength and frequency detuning. With proper manipulation of detuning frequency, the spiking generation delay can be controlled upto 60 ns, which is 6 times longer than the delay controlled by intensity. The multi-frequency switching provides another manipulation dimension for spiking generation and will be helpful to exploit the abundant spatial-temporal features of spiking neural network. We believe the proposed VCSEL-neuron, as a single physical device for generating spiking signals with variable time delay, will pave the way for future photonic spiking neural networks.
Topics: Lasers; Neural Networks, Computer; Neurons; Optics and Photonics; Photons
PubMed: 36224875
DOI: 10.1364/OE.456583 -
Nature Communications Sep 2022Inspired by insect compound eyes (CEs) that feature unique optical schemes for imaging, there has recently been growing interest in developing optoelectronic CE cameras...
Inspired by insect compound eyes (CEs) that feature unique optical schemes for imaging, there has recently been growing interest in developing optoelectronic CE cameras with comparable size and functions. However, considering the mismatch between the complex 3D configuration of CEs and the planar nature of available imaging sensors, it is currently challenging to reach this end. Here, we report a paradigm in miniature optoelectronic integrated CE camera by manufacturing polymer CEs with 19~160 logarithmic profile ommatidia via femtosecond laser two-photon polymerization. In contrast to μ-CEs with spherical ommatidia that suffer from defocusing problems, the as-obtained μ-CEs with logarithmic ommatidia permit direct integration with a commercial CMOS detector, because the depth-of-field and focus range of all the logarithmic ommatidia are significantly increased. The optoelectronic integrated μ-CE camera enables large field-of-view imaging (90°), spatial position identification and sensitive trajectory monitoring of moving targets. Moreover, the miniature μ-CE camera can be integrated with a microfluidic chip and serves as an on-chip camera for real-time microorganisms monitoring. The insect-scale optoelectronic μ-CE camera provides a practical route for integrating well-developed planar imaging sensors with complex micro-optics elements, holding great promise for cutting-edge applications in endoscopy and robot vision.
Topics: Animals; Insecta; Lasers; Optics and Photonics; Photons; Polymers
PubMed: 36163128
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33072-8 -
Journal of Biomedical Optics Apr 20202019 SPIE Photonics West conference hosted over 5000 presentations. Some important presentations in the Industrial Laser, Laser Source and Application (LASE) and... (Review)
Review
SIGNIFICANCE
2019 SPIE Photonics West conference hosted over 5000 presentations. Some important presentations in the Industrial Laser, Laser Source and Application (LASE) and Optoelectronics, Photonic Materials and Devices (OPTO) sections of the SPIE Photonics West conference have a risk of being overlooked by the biomedical community despite their implications for the field of biophotonics. We review some recent advances in the area of development coherent radiation sources in the infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), and terahertz (THz) regimes.
AIM
Recent advances in coherent radiation sources in the IR, deep UV, and THz regimes were outlined, and the importance of each presentation to one or more promising biomedical applications was assessed.
APPROACH
Presentations and proceedings from the LASE and OPTO sections were reviewed for inclusion. Emphasis was placed on talks from the Nonlinear Frequency Generation and Conversion: Materials and Devices XVIII conference, and the Terahertz, RF, Millimeter, and Submillimeter-Wave Technology and Applications XII conference. Conference sections that directly focused on biomedical applications were excluded.
RESULTS
Enhanced IR supercontinuum generation with compact supercontinuum sources may allow for real-time biomarker detection and create new opportunities for imaging tissues using the third biological window (1600 to 1850 nm). Efficient methods to generate deep UV (200 to 260 nm) radiation allow for the study of biologically important molecules through techniques such as resonance Raman spectroscopy while avoiding fluorescence overlap. Likewise, novel and improved THz generation methods seek to bridge the "THz gap" that has previously limited biomedical applications.
CONCLUSIONS
Advances in coherent radiation sources in the IR, UV, and THz regimes have created new opportunities for biomedical optics research.
Topics: Diagnostic Imaging; Lasers; Light; Optics and Photonics; Photons
PubMed: 32329266
DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.25.4.040902 -
Annual Review of Physical Chemistry 2011The quest for ultrahigh detection sensitivity with spectroscopic contrasts other than fluorescence has led to various novel approaches to optical microscopy of... (Review)
Review
The quest for ultrahigh detection sensitivity with spectroscopic contrasts other than fluorescence has led to various novel approaches to optical microscopy of biological systems. Coherent nonlinear optical imaging, especially the recently developed nonlinear dissipation microscopy (including stimulated Raman scattering and two-photon absorption) and pump-probe microscopy (including excited-state absorption, stimulated emission, and ground-state depletion), provides new image contrasts for nonfluorescent species. Thanks to the high-frequency modulation transfer scheme, these imaging techniques exhibit superb detection sensitivity. By directly interrogating vibrational and/or electronic energy levels of molecules, they offer high molecular specificity. Here we review the underlying principles and excitation and detection schemes, as well as exemplary biomedical applications of this emerging class of molecular imaging techniques.
Topics: Absorption; Fluorescence; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Microscopy, Scanning Probe; Molecular Imaging; Nonlinear Dynamics; Optics and Photonics; Photoelectron Spectroscopy; Photons; Sensitivity and Specificity; Spectrum Analysis, Raman; Tomography, Optical Coherence; Vibration
PubMed: 21453061
DOI: 10.1146/annurev.physchem.012809.103512 -
Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering Jun 2020Super-resolution microscopy techniques are versatile and powerful tools for visualizing organelle structures, interactions, and protein functions in biomedical research.... (Review)
Review
Super-resolution microscopy techniques are versatile and powerful tools for visualizing organelle structures, interactions, and protein functions in biomedical research. However, whole-cell and tissue specimens challenge the achievable resolution and depth of nanoscopy methods. We focus on three-dimensional single-molecule localization microscopy and review some of the major roadblocks and developing solutions to resolving thick volumes of cells and tissues at the nanoscale in three dimensions. These challenges include background fluorescence, system- and sample-induced aberrations, and information carried by photons, as well as drift correction, volume reconstruction, and photobleaching mitigation. We also highlight examples of innovations that have demonstrated significant breakthroughs in addressing the abovementioned challenges together with their core concepts as well as their trade-offs.
Topics: Animals; Astigmatism; Coma; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Mice; Microscopy; Microscopy, Confocal; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Models, Statistical; Optics and Photonics; Organelles; Photobleaching; Photons
PubMed: 32243765
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-bioeng-060418-052203 -
Science Advances Jul 2023Telecom-band-integrated quantum memory is an elementary building block for developing quantum networks compatible with fiber communication infrastructures. Toward such a...
Telecom-band-integrated quantum memory is an elementary building block for developing quantum networks compatible with fiber communication infrastructures. Toward such a network with large capacity, an integrated multimode photonic quantum memory at telecom band has yet been demonstrated. Here, we report a fiber-integrated multimode quantum storage of single photon at telecom band on a laser-written chip. The storage device is a fiber-pigtailed Er:LiNbO waveguide and allows a storage of up to 330 temporal modes of heralded single photon with 4-GHz-wide bandwidth at 1532 nm and a 167-fold increasing of coincidence detection rate with respect to single mode. Our memory system with all-fiber addressing is performed using telecom-band fiber-integrated and on-chip components. The results represent an important step for the future quantum networks using integrated photonics devices.
Topics: Optics and Photonics; Photons; Communication
PubMed: 37450592
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf4587 -
Proceedings of the Japan Academy.... 2016Recent technological progress in the generation, manipulation and detection of individual single photons has opened a new scientific field of photonic quantum... (Review)
Review
Recent technological progress in the generation, manipulation and detection of individual single photons has opened a new scientific field of photonic quantum information. This progress includes the realization of single photon switches, photonic quantum circuits with specific functions, and the application of novel photonic states to novel optical metrology beyond the limits of standard optics. In this review article, the recent developments and current status of photonic quantum information technology are overviewed based on the author's past and recent works.
Topics: Algorithms; Interferometry; Light; Optics and Photonics; Photons; Physics; Quantum Theory; Technology
PubMed: 26755398
DOI: 10.2183/pjab.92.29