Invention:
This invention introduces a photonic diffractive computing biosensing system that converts analyte-induced spectral changes directly into distinct spatial intensity patterns, enabling classification or concentration measurement without spectral reconstruction. An element in the system produces a resonance shift after detection, which produces a diffraction pattern on a detector. The detector readout directly encodes the analyte presence in the system.
Background:
Many existing optical biosensing methods such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) or surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) detect analytes by observing a shift in resonance frequency or wavelength. The current readout approaches available rely on spectral analysis, including tunable lasers, spectrometers, or digital post-processing to measure peak shifts. These approaches require additional hardware or computational resources and are often costly, bulky, and not suitable for portable biosensing applications. This invention overcomes those limitations by providing a direct optical response that can immediately indicate whether an analyte is present, absent, or at a certain concentration level without the need for complex data fitting or digital post-processing, making the detection process simpler and faster. In addition, the design supports scalable, compact, and low-cost architectures, making it well-suited for portable diagnostic applications.
Applications:
- Field-deployable diagnostics
- Pathogen detection
- Allergen monitoring
- Non-invasive biosensing
- Water quality monitoring
Advantages:
- Does not rely on spectrometers
- Does not need digital post-processing
- Scalable
- Low-cost
- Portable
