Refractometric sensing of Li salt with visible-light Si3N4 microdisk resonators

Abstract: We demonstrate aqueous refractive index sensing with 15 to 30 {\mu}m diameter silicon nitride microdisk resonators to detect small concentrations of Li salt. A dimpled-tapered fiber is used to couple 780 nm visible light to the microdisks, in order to perform spectroscopy their optical resonances. The dimpled fiber probe allows testing of multiple devices on a chip in a single experiment. This sensing system is versatile and easy to use, while remaining competitive with other refractometric sensors. For example, from a 20 {\mu}m diameter device we measure a sensitivity of 200 $\pm$ 30 nm/RIU with a loaded quality factor of 1.5 $\times$ 10$^4$, and a limit of detection down to (1.3 $\pm$ 0.1) $\times$ 10$^{-6}$ RIU.