Determination of Stokes velocities and sedimentation rate by a photonic resonant surface signal

The sedimentation of solid particles in a liquid is a physical phenomenon that necessitate to be well understood and measured in several cases. In medical diagnosis, a knowledge of the sedimentation speed of red blood cells for example, allows the early diagnosis of various inflammations. In study, optical Micro-Resonators (MRs) are used as sensors to track the dynamical phenomenon of sedimentation of a cloud of nano-particles in water, and the associated consequences on the spectral characteristics of the guided mode are analyzed. A MR is characterized by its eigenvalue, namely the effective index of an optical mode propagating inside. A progressive modification of the environment thus induces a temporal variation of the effective index. Such a variation can be measured by the tracking of the Free Spectral Range (FSR) of the transduced spectra against time. The transduced optical signal is then directed towards an Optical Spectrum Analyzer (OSA) from which spectra are acquired against time. A millimeter tank filled with water is judiciously deposited on the surface of the chip, before the adding of the solution of nano-particles. The spectra are acquired during the whole duration of the process of sedimentation. The data collected this way are then compared to a simple theoretical model describing the sedimentation of a spherical particle in water. Moreover, the sedimentation theory and the derivation of the speed of sedimentation of a spherical particle is presented, plus the presentation of the experimental setup, from the fabrication of the photonic structure by photolithography, to the inclusion of this circuit in an optical characterization platform and the presentation of the data acquisition and treatment program. The experimental results are analyzed and discussed. The differences are around 10% over the theoretical Stokes velocities relating to such sedimentation process. An overall generic curve or spectral response is clearly demonstrated on these sedimentation processes.