High Quality–Factor All–Dielectric Metacavity for Label–Free Biosensing

High sensitivity and high quality-factor are crucial for achieving outstanding sensing performance in photonic biosensors. However, strong optical field confinement and high light-biomolecule interactions on photonic surfaces are usually contradictory and challenging to satisfy simultaneously. Here, a distinctive configuration for addressing this issue is reported: embedding a nanophotonic metasurface inside a micro vertical cavity as a meta-channel (metacavity) biosensor. The analyte solution serves as the cavity medium, thereby maximizing the light-analyte interaction. Simulation validation is conducted to optimize the metacavity with high structural robustness and remarkable optical and sensing properties. Large-scale low-cost metacavity biosensors are realized by combining anodic aluminum oxide template technique and wafer bonding. Experimentally, the metacavity biosensor demonstrates a notable quality-factor (maximum 4140) and high bulk refractometric sensitivity (450 nm RIU