Tunable fabry-pérot interferometer based on nanoporous anodic alumina for optical biosensing purposes

Abstract

Here, we present a systematic study about the effect of the pore length and its diameter on the specular reflection in nanoporous anodic alumina. As we demonstrate, the specular reflection can be controlled at will by structural tuning (i.e., by designing the pore geometry). This makes it possible to produce a wide range of Fabry-Pérot interferometers based on nanoporous anodic alumina, which are envisaged for developing smart and accurate optical sensors in such research fields as biotechnology and medicine. Additionally, to systematize the responsiveness to external changes in optical sensors based on nanoporous anodic alumina, we put forward a barcode system based on the oscillations in the specular reflection. © 2012 Santos et al.