Communications Engineering (May 2024)

3D printed sub-terahertz photonic crystal for wireless passive biosensing

  • Yixiong Zhao,
  • Ali Alhaj Abbas,
  • Masoud Sakaki,
  • Gero Bramlage,
  • Guillaume Delaittre,
  • Niels Benson,
  • Thomas Kaiser,
  • Jan C. Balzer

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-024-00213-4
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

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Abstract Monitoring pathogens has become a major challenge for society and research in recent years. Of great interest are refractive index sensors, which are based on the interaction between analytes and electromagnetic waves and allow label-free and fast detection. In addition, the electromagnetic waves can be exploited for wireless communication. However, current refractive index biosensors can only be read from a few centimeters. Here, we demonstrate an innovative concept of a passive wireless sensor based on a sub-terahertz photonic crystal resonator. The fabricated sensors have a reading range of up to 0.9 m and elevation and azimuth acceptance angles of around 90°. We demonstrate the stand-off detection of sub-µm thin-film proteins as test analytes. The proposed wireless sensor opens the door to a non-electronic, compact, and low-cost solution and can be extended to a wireless sensor network monitoring airborne pathogen, which may provide a pre-infection detection to prevent their spread efficiently.