In this paper the concept and design of an integrated optical device featuring evanescent field sensing and spectrometric analysis is presented. The device, termed integrated optics sensing spectrometer (IOSS), consists of a modified arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) which arms are engineered into two sets having different focal points. Half of the arms are exposed to the outer media, while the other half are left isolated, thus the device can provide both sensing and reference spectra. Two reference designs are provided for the visible and near-infrared wavelengths, aimed at the determination of the concentration of known solutes through absorption spectroscopy.
Keywords: absorption spectroscopy; evanescent-field sensing; integrated optical sensor.