Engineering of photonic structures based on nanoporous anodic alumina as an optical sensing platform

Identifier:  TDX:3278

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX3278

Authors:  Acosta Capilla, Laura Karen

Abstract:
The optical properties of nanoporous alumina have been shown to be intrinsically dependent upon its architecture, making it possible to modulate its refractive index to fabricate advanced materials with unique optical properties such as photonic structures. This thesis has as its main objective, the manufacture of photonic structures based on Nanoporous Alumina. The photonic structures were fabricated with nanoporous alumina (NAA-PSs) by anodizing aluminum with different anodizing profiles (sinusoidal and Gaussian) as well as the fabrication of optical microcavities. Its optical properties and its influence when the pore size is larger were studied. Once manufactured and characterized, the NAA-PSs were evaluated as platforms to develop optical sensors using the reflective interferometric spectroscopy (RIfs) technique. The structures were analyzed using different concentrations of D-glucose, alcohol solutions and sodium chloride. They were tested with different pore sizes as well as with different types of structures by modifying the fabrication parameters. With the obtained results in this doctoral thesis, iwas demonstrated that photonic structures based on nanoporous alumina have the ability to be used as a potential platform to develop optical sensors.