Thermal characterization of liquid core optical ring resonator sensors.

The liquid core optical ring resonator (LCORR) has recently shown promise as a high-sensitivity label-free lab-on-a-chip biological-chemical sensor. We investigate experimentally and theoretically the temperature dependence of the LCORR to establish a noise baseline, which will enable us to implement a temperature stabilization mechanism to reduce the thermally induced noise and to improve the sensor detection limit. Our studies involve analysis of the thermo-optic and thermomechanical effects of fused silica and aluminosilicate glass as they impact LCORR performance. Both thick-walled and thin-walled LCORRs are investigated to elucidate the contribution of water in the core to the thermal response of the LCORRs. Theoretical calculations based on Mie theory are used to verify the experimental observations.