• Photonics Research
  • Vol. 13, Issue 3, 632 (2025)
Kamyar Behrouzi1,2, Zhanni Wu3, Liwei Lin1,2,5, and Boubacar Kante3,4,*
Author Affiliations
  • 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  • 2Berkeley Sensor and Actuator Center (BSAC), Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  • 3Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  • 4Material Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
  • 5e-mail: lwlin@berkeley.edu
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    DOI: 10.1364/PRJ.540227 Cite this Article Set citation alerts
    Kamyar Behrouzi, Zhanni Wu, Liwei Lin, Boubacar Kante, "Single plasmonic exceptional point nanoantenna coupled to a photonic integrated circuit sensor," Photonics Res. 13, 632 (2025) Copy Citation Text show less

    Abstract

    Point-of-care sensors are pivotal for early disease diagnosis, significantly advancing global health. Surface plasmons, the collective oscillations of free electrons under electromagnetic excitation, have been widely studied for biosensing due to their electromagnetic field enhancements at sub-wavelength scales. We introduce a plasmonic biosensor on a compact photonic integrated circuit (PIC) enhanced by exceptional points (EPs). EPs, singularities in non-Hermitian optical systems, provide extreme sensitivity to external perturbations. They emerge when two or more complex resonating modes merge into a single degenerate mode. We demonstrate an EP in a single coupled nanoantenna particle positioned in a uniquely designed silicon nitride slot-waveguide, which we call a junction-waveguide. By laterally shifting two optically coupled gold nanobars of different lengths, we achieve a single particle EP. The junction-waveguide enables efficient coupling of the plasmonic nanoantenna to the waveguide mode. The system integrates a four-port Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI), allowing for simultaneous measurements of the amplitude and phase of EP, facilitating highly accurate real-time eigenvalue extraction. For biosensing, we encapsulated the detection zone with a microchannel, enabling low-volume and simple sample handling. Our single particle integrated EP sensor demonstrates superior sensitivity compared to the corresponding linear diabolic point (DP) system under both local and bulk sensing schemes, even at large perturbations. Our studies revealed that the integrated EP sensor can detect a single molecule captured by the nanobars with the average size ranging from 10 to 100 nm. The proposed EP biosensor, with its extreme sensitivity, compact form, and real-time phase sensing capabilities, provides an approach for detecting and quantifying various biomarkers such as proteins and nucleic acids, offering a unique platform for early disease diagnosis.
    H=(ω˜1κ˜κ˜ω˜2),

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    ω˜A,B=ω˜2+ω˜12±(ω˜2ω˜12)2+κ˜2.

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    κ˜c=i(ω˜2ω˜12)2.

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    H=(ω˜1+εκ˜κ˜ω˜2).

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    ω˜A,Bω˜2+ω˜12+ε±(ω˜2ω˜12)2+(ω˜2ω˜1)ε+κ˜2.

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    Δω˜2(ω˜2ω˜12)2+(ω˜2ω˜1)ε+κ˜2.

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    Δω˜κ˜cε.

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    Δω˜μ˜+κ˜cεμ˜(1+κ˜cε2μ˜),|μ˜||κ˜cε|,

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    EP=ESeiϕS2+EReiϕR22,

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    IP=IS+IR+2ISIRcos(Δϕ)4,

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    Δϕ=arccos(2γη12η),η=ISIR,γ=IPIR,γ0=(IPIR)0,γ=γγ0,

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    Kamyar Behrouzi, Zhanni Wu, Liwei Lin, Boubacar Kante, "Single plasmonic exceptional point nanoantenna coupled to a photonic integrated circuit sensor," Photonics Res. 13, 632 (2025)
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