Photonic biosensing via Su-Schrieffer-Heeger boundary modes

Abstract

We propose a conceptual device for multiplexed biosensor in a photonic crystal chip based on the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger mechanism. Remarkably, the proposed biosensor can identify three distinct disease markers through a single-shot photon transmission measurement, due to the couplings among the three Su-Schrieffer-Heeger boundary modes in the photonic crystal. Our biosensor design is more robust against defects and disorders inevitable in real-life device applications than previous designs. Such robustness is invaluable for achieving efficient, reliable, and integrated biosensing based on nanophotonic systems. We further demonstrate that various combinations of disease markers can be recognized via the photon transmission spectrum, unveiling a promising route toward high performance advanced biosensing for future biomedical technology.