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We demonstrate a compact (40 ${\mu}$m $\times$ 260 ${\mu}$m) spectrometer based on multimode interference aided by scattering of light from random SiO$_2$-filled hole arrays on a silicon-on-insulator platform. We characterize the performance of the spectrometer for wavelengths around 1310 nm, and report that the spectrometer can reconstruct a broadband $\sim$ 67 nm source, as well as Lorentzian probes of $\sim$ 1 nm bandwidth. This compact nanometer level resolution spectrometer can be fabricated at a low cost for lab-on-a-chip sensing and imaging applications., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures

The average Raman signal power obtained in a modulated optical trap is dependent on the Brownian motion - therefore hydrodynamic properties of the trapped particle. Hence, in addition to the molecular properties obtained from the Raman signal, it is possible to study hydrodynamic properties (e.g. size) of the particle by analyzing the change in the average Raman power as a function of modulation frequency. Our results, based on the over-damped Langevin equation, show that several minimas exist for the Raman signal at unique modulating frequencies for a given particle size and signal acquisition time. In typical experimental conditions, such minimas can be as low as 50% of the Raman signal in an unmodulated trap.

We demonstrate an on-chip Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) axicon etched using a low resolution (200 nm feature size, 250 nm gap) deep-ultraviolet lithographic fabrication. The axicon consists of circular gratings with seven stages of 1x2 multimode interferometers. We present a technique to apodize the gratings azimuthally by breaking up the circles into arcs which successfully increased the penetration depth in the gratings from $\approx$5 $\mu$m to $\approx$55 $\mu$m. We characterize the device's performance by coupling 1300$\pm$50 nm swept source laser in to the chip from the axicon, and measuring the out-coupled light from a grating coupler. Further, we also present the implementation of balanced homodyne detection method for the spectral characterization of the device and show that the position of the output lobe of the axicon does not change significantly with wavelength.

We review an on-chip approach for spontaneous Raman spectroscopy and Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) based on evanescent excitation of the analyte as well as evanescent collection of the Raman signal using Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) compatible single mode waveguides. The signal is either directly collected from the analyte molecules or via plasmonic nanoantennas integrated on top of the waveguides. Flexibility in the design of the geometry of the waveguide, and/or the geometry of the antennas, enables optimization of the collection efficiency. Furthermore the sensor can be integrated with additional functionality (sources, detectors, spectrometers) on the same chip. In this paper, the basic theoretical concepts are introduced to identify the key design parameters and some proof-of-concept experimental results are reviewed.

Characterizing a monolayer of biological molecules has been a major challenge. We demonstrate nanophotonic wave-guide enhanced Raman spectroscopy (NWERS) of monolayers in the near-infrared region, enabling real-time measurements of the hybridization of DNA strands and the density of sub-monolayers of biotin-streptavidin complex immobilized on top of a photonics chip. NWERS is based on enhanced evanescent excitation and collection of spontaneous Raman scattering near nanophotonic waveguides, which for a one centimeter silicon nitride waveguide delivers a signal that is more than four orders of magnitude higher in comparison to a confocal Raman microscope. The reduced acquisition time and specificity of the signal allows for a quantitative and real-time characterization of surface species, hitherto not possible using Raman spectroscopy. NWERS provides a direct analytic tool for monolayer research and also opens a route to compact microscope-less lab-on-a-chip devices with integrated sources, spectrometers and detectors fabricated using a mass-producible CMOS technology platform.

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is a well-established technique for enhancing Raman signals. Recently photonic integrated circuits have been used, as an alternative to microscopy based excitation and collection, to probe SERS signals from external metallic nanoparticles. However, in order to develop quantitative on-chip SERS sensors, integration of dedicated nanoplasmonic antennas and waveguides is desirable. Here we bridge this gap by demonstrating for the first time the generation of SERS signals from integrated bowtie nanoantennas, excited and collected by a single mode waveguide, and rigorously quantify the enhancement process. The guided Raman power generated by a 4-Nitrothiophenol coated bowtie antenna shows an 8 x 10^6 enhancement compared to the free-space Raman scattering. An excellent correspondence is obtained between the theoretically predicted and observed absolute Raman power. This work paves the way towards fully integrated lab-on-a-chip systems where the single mode SERS-probe can be combined with other photonic, fluidic or biological functionalities., Comment: Submitted to Nature Photonics