Chemical Surface Modifications development of Silicon Based Label Free Integrated Optical (IO) Biosensors: A Review

Abstract

[EN] Increasing interest has been paid to label-free biosensors in recent years. 11 Among them, refractive index (RI) optical biosensors enable high density and the chip-12 scale integration of optical components. This makes them more appealing to help 13 develop lab-on-a-chip devices. Today, many RI integrated optical (IO) devices are made 14 using silicon-based materials. A key issue in their development is the 15 biofunctionalization of sensing surfaces because they provide a specific, sensitive 16 response to the analyte of interest. This review critically discusses the 17 biofunctionalization procedures, assay formats and characterization techniques 18 employed in setting up IO biosensors. In addition, it provides the most relevant results 19 obtained from using these devices for real sample biosensing. Finally, an overview of 20 the most promising future developments in the fields of chemical surface modification 21 and capture agent attachment for IO biosensors follows.