Signal-to-noise ratio is a crucial issue in microarray fluorescence read-out. Several strategies are proposed for its
improvement. First, light collection in conventional microarrays scanners is quite limited. It was recently shown that
almost full collection can be achieved in an integrated lens-free biosensor, with labelled species hybridizing practically
on the surface of a sensitive silicon detector [L. Martinelli et al. Appl. Phys. Lett. 91, 083901 (2007)]. However, even
with such an improvement, the ultimate goal of real-time measurements during hybridization is challenging: the detector
is dazzled by the large fluorescence of labelled species in the solution. In the present paper we show that this unwanted
signal can effectively be reduced if the excitation light is confined in a waveguide. Moreover, the concentration of
excitation light in a waveguide results in a huge signal gain. In our experiment we realized a structure consisting of a
high index sol-gel waveguide deposited on a low-index substrate. The fluorescent molecules deposited on the surface of
the waveguide were excited by the evanescent part of a wave travelling in the guide. The comparison with free-space
excitation schemes confirms a huge gain (by several orders of magnitude) in favour of waveguide-based excitation. An
optical guide deposited onto an integrated biosensor thus combines both advantages of ideal light collection and
enhanced surface localized excitation without compromising the imaging properties. Modelling predicts a negligible
penalty from spatial cross-talk in practical applications. We believe that such a system would bring microarrays to
hitherto unattained sensitivities.
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