Integrated switching circuit for low-noise self-referenced mid-infrared absorption sensing using silicon waveguides

We report a new method of accurately measuring the mid-infrared absorption of fluid analytes using on-chip waveguides that allows measurements to be referenced for noise and drift reduction whilst using only a single external detector. A silicon-on-insulator waveguide circuit integrated with a microfluidic channel is made in which a pair of switches alternate light between an evanescent absorption sensor waveguide and a reference waveguide at a rate of a few kHz, thus allowing low frequency common noise components to be removed from the measurement, and leading to a reduction in the noise floor by a factor of 11 compared to a simple waveguide absorption sensor. The device was verified by using it to detect an Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) absorption peak at a wavelength of 3.77 μm.