Dual slow-light enhanced photothermal gas spectroscopy on a silicon chip

Integrated photonic sensors have attracted significant attention recently for their potential for high-density integration. However, they face challenges in sensing gases with high sensitivity due to weak light-gas interaction. Slow light, which dramatically intensifies light-matter interaction through spatial compression of optical energy, provides a promising solution. Herein, we demonstrate a dual slow-light scheme for enhancing the sensitivity of photothermal spectroscopy (PTS) with a suspended photonic crystal waveguide (PhCW) on a CMOS-compatible silicon platform. By tailoring the dispersion of the PhCW to generate structural slow light to enhance pump absorption and probe phase modulation, we achieve a photothermal efficiency of 3.6 × 10⁻⁴ rad·cm·ppm⁻¹ · mW⁻¹ · m⁻¹, over 1 - 3 orders of magnitude higher than the strip waveguides and optical fibers. With a 1-mm-long sensing PhCW incorporated in a stabilized on-chip Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a footprint of 0.6 mm², we demonstrate acetylene detection with a sensitivity of 1.4 × 10⁻⁶ in terms of noise-equivalent absorption and length product (NEA · L), the best among the reported photonic waveguide gas sensors to our knowledge. The dual slow-light enhanced PTS paves the way for integrated photonic gas sensors with high sensitivity, miniaturization, and cost-effective mass production.