Electrically pumped fluidic cavity (EPFC) VCSEL for the detection of biologic agents

A fluidic cavity vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is presented for the detection of biological agents via introducing the analytic biofluid into the high finesse laser cavity. The optical properties of the fluid as modified by the biological cells they contain are sensed by monitoring the output optical intensity and wavelength of the laser. As a preliminary study, our first generation electrically pumped GaAs/AlGaAs based fluidic cavity VCSEL is described, with emphasis on the system design and techniques for the system construction. The device shows a strong spontaneous emission and a considerable wavelength shift when DI water is capillarily fed into the fluidic cavity.