Symposium AA on materials for optical sensors in biomedical applications

A wide variety of optical detection methods are currently under investigation to address anticipated needs in biomedical applications such as lab-on-a-chip devices for point-of-care diagnostics or threat detection. Often the key challenge is how to adjust materials properties to enable sophisticated detection schemes in a highly integrated manner. Topics that often must be addressed simultaneously include optical and mechanical properties, surface properties, and feasibility to create 3-dimensional structures. Moreover, the materials properties must be tailored to the chemistry and biology of the detection mechanism. These challenges can best be solved by interdisciplinary cooperation that includes material growth, characterization, fabrication, and integration. 

This symposium provides a forum to discuss and compare a variety of approaches taken to resolve the materials issues in optical biodetection systems. Material systems used in biosensors are broad-ranging, including noble metals, silica, thermal oxides, multilayer dielectrics, silicon, GaAs, piezoelectrics, among others. Structuring of the materials includes the formation of diffraction gratings, waveguides, and resonant cavities, using etches, soft lithography, metal deposition, surface-state control, among others. 

This symposium brings together scientists and engineers active in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and electrical engineering to present recent developments of optical biosensors and their applications in biotechnology.