Simultaneous sensing of light and sound velocities of fluids in a two-dimensional phoXonic crystal with defects

We theoretically investigate the potentiality of dual phononic-photonic (the so-called phoxonic) crystals for liquid sensing applications. We study the transmission through a two-dimensional (2D) crystal made of infinite cylindrical holes in a silicon substrate, where one row of holes oriented perpendicular to the propagation direction is filled with a liquid. The infiltrated holes may have a different radius than the regular holes. We show, in the defect structure, the existence of well-defined features (peaks or dips) in the transmission spectra of acoustic and optical waves and estimate their sensitivity to the sound and light velocity of the analyte. Some of the geometrical requirements behave in opposite directions when searching for an efficient sensing of either sound or light velocities. Hence, a compromise in the choice of the parameters may become necessary in making the phoxonic sensor. © 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.