Grating bio-microelectromechanical platform architecture for multiple biomarker detection

A label-free biosensor based on a tunable MEMS metamaterial structure is proposed in this paper. The adopted structure is a one-dimensional array of metamaterial gratings with movable and fixed fingers. The moving unit of the optical detection system is a component of the MEMS structure, driven by the surface stress effect. Thus, these suspended optical nanoribbons can be moved and change the grating pattern by the biological bonds that happened on the modified cantilever surface. Such structural variations lead to significant changes in the optical response of the metamaterial system under illuminating angled light and subsequently shift its resonance wavelength spectrum. As a result, the proposed biosensor shows appropriate analytical characteristics, including the mechanical sensitivity of Sm = 11.55 μm/Nm−1, the optical sensitivity of So = Δλ/Δd = 0.7 translated to So = Δλ/Δσ = 8.08 μm/Nm−1, and the quality factor of Q = 102.7. Also, considering the importance of multi-biomarker detection, a specific design of the proposed topology has been introduced as an array for identifying different biomolecules. Based on the conducted modeling and analyses, the presented device poses the capability of detecting multiple biomarkers of disease at very low concentrations with proper precision in fluidic environments, offering a suitable bio-platform for lab-on-chip structures.