Monolithic integration of a plasmonic sensor with CMOS technology

Monolithic integration of nanophotonic sensors with CMOS detectors can transform the laboratory based nanophotonic sensors into practical devices with a range of applications in everyday life. In this work, by monolithically integrating an array of gold nanodiscs with the CMOS photodiode we have developed a compact and miniaturized nanophotonic sensor system having direct electrical read out. Doing so eliminates the need of expensive and bulky laboratory based optical spectrum analyzers used currently for measurements of nanophotonic sensor chips. The experimental optical sensitivity of the gold nanodiscs is measured to be 275 nm/RIU which translates to an electrical sensitivity of 5.4 V/RIU. This integration of nanophotonic sensors with the CMOS electronics has the potential to revolutionize personalized medical diagnostics similar to the way in which the CMOS technology has revolutionized the electronics industry.