Label-free and fluorescence biosensing platform using one-dimensional photonic crystal chips

The increasing demand for early detection of diseases drives the efforts to develop more and more sensitive techniques to detect biomarkers in extremely low concentrations. Electromagnetic modes at the surface of one dimensional photonic crystals, usually called Bloch surface waves, were demonstrated to enhance the resolution and constitute an attractive alternative to surface plasmon polariton optical biosensors. We report on the development of Bloch surface wave biochips operating in both label-free and fluorescence modes and demonstrate their use in ovalbumin recognition assays.