Chemical microanalysis with cavity-enhanced optical waveguide devices

Three examples of cavity-enhanced measurements of refractive index and optical absorption are discussed. Using microphotonic silicon-on-insulator ring-resonators we determine the concentration of cyclohexane and m-xylene at detection levels of 300-3000 ppm. The gases are first absorbed into a siloxane polymer and its refractive index change is detected by a characteristic wavelength shift of the cavity resonance. In a second device phase-shift cavity ring-down spectroscopy is applied to simultaneously measure the optical absorption at two wavelengths of either a dye, nucleic acids or a pharmaceutical component. Multiplexing the ring-down measurement permits dual wavelength absorption spectroscopy without the use of a dispersion element. Finally, a combination of resonance wavelength measurements and cavity ring-down spectroscopy is used to simultaneously determine the change in refractive index and the absorption induced by adsorption of ethylene diamine on a 300 mu m silica sphere. A whispering gallery mode of the microsphere resonator is excited with intensity modulated light and the intensity and AM modulation phase of the Rayleigh backscattered light is measured.