Fully-Integrated Raman Detector for Distributed Detection of Chemicals and Point-of-Care Detection of Biological Cells

Recent advances in silicon photonics enable the development of integrated sensors using microfluidic material transport and Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (“SERS”) on a single chip. The sensor envisioned will be able to quickly detect a wide variety of chemical and biological agents. Initial focus (first two years) will be on Department of Defense (“DOD”) applications for distributed chemical detection with high chemical sensitivity and specificity. In later years (after the first two years), the focus will be to extend the system for detection of biological agents, such as circulating cancer cells for point-of-care medical applications.