1/f-noise-free optical sensing with an integrated heterodyne interferometer

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 1973 - 7
• Main Authors: Jin, Ming, Tang, Shui-Jing, Chen, Jin-Hui, Yu, Xiao-Chong, Shu, Haowen, Tao, Yuansheng, Chen, Antony K., Gong, Qihuang, Wang, Xingjun, Xiao, Yun-Feng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 30.03.2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/166/987; 639/624/1075/1083; 639/624/1107/510; 639/624/1111/55; Antibodies; Antigens; Biosensing Techniques - instrumentation; Biosensing Techniques - methods; Biosensors; CMOS; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; HEK293 Cells; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Interferometry - instrumentation; Interferometry - methods; LF noise; Limit of Detection; multidisciplinary; Nanoparticles; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanotechnology - methods; Noise; Object recognition; Optical measuring instruments; Polystyrene; Polystyrene resins; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation; Transducers; Virus-like particles; Waveguides
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22271-4

Optical evanescent sensors can non-invasively detect unlabeled nanoscale objects in real time with unprecedented sensitivity, enabling a variety of advances in fundamental physics and biological applications. However, the intrinsic low-frequency noise therein with an approximately 1/ f -shaped spectral density imposes an ultimate detection limit for monitoring many paramount processes, such as antigen-antibody reactions, cell motions and DNA hybridizations. Here, we propose and demonstrate a 1/ f -noise-free optical sensor through an up-converted detection system. Experimentally, in a CMOS-compatible heterodyne interferometer, the sampling noise amplitude is suppressed by two orders of magnitude. It pushes the label-free single-nanoparticle detection limit down to the attogram level without exploiting cavity resonances, plasmonic effects, or surface charges on the analytes. Single polystyrene nanobeads and HIV-1 virus-like particles are detected as a proof-of-concept demonstration for airborne biosensing. Based on integrated waveguide arrays, our devices hold great potentials for multiplexed and rapid sensing of diverse viruses or molecules. Suppressing 1/f-shaped low-frequency noise is critical but fundamentally challenging to both electrical and optical transducers. Here, the authors demonstrate a 1/f-noise-free optical sensor with integrated CMOS-compatible heterodyne interferometer and an upconversion amplifying technique, which suppresses the noise by two orders of magnitude.