Raw data for the paper "A Terahertz Point Source Meta-Sensor in Reflection Mode for Trace-Amount Bio-Sensing Applications"

Biosensors in the Terahertz (THz) region are attracting significant attention in the biomedical and chemical analysis fields owing to their potential for ultra-trace sensing of various solutions with high sensitivity. However, the development of compact, highly sensitive chips and methods for easy, rapid, and trace-amount measurements have been significantly hindered by the limited spatial resolution of THz waves and their strong absorption by water. In this study, we developed a nonlinear optical crystal (NLOC)-based compact THz sensor chip, and a near-field point THz source with a diameter of ~ϕ20 μm was locally generated via optical rectification. Here, only the single central meta-atom was excited. The reflective resonance responses highly depend on the array number and period of the meta-atom structures. The sensing performance was examined with several liquid biological samples, such as mineral water, DNA, and human blood. 1 μL of samples was directly dropped onto the meta-surface with an effective sensing area of 0.32 mm² (564 μm × 564 μm). Obvious resonance frequency shifts were clearly observed. This research holds significance in advancing liquid bio-sample sensing methodologies by facilitating easy, rapid, and trace-amount measurements and promoting the development of compact and highly sensitive THz sensors tailored for liquid biological samples.

太赫兹（Terahertz, THz）频段生物传感器凭借其可对多种溶液实现高灵敏度超痕量检测的潜力，在生物医学与化学分析领域受到广泛关注。然而，太赫兹波有限的空间分辨率以及其易被水强吸收的特性，极大阻碍了可实现简便、快速、痕量检测的紧凑型高灵敏度芯片及检测方法的研发。在本研究中，我们研发了一款基于非线性光学晶体（Nonlinear Optical Crystal, NLOC）的紧凑型太赫兹传感器芯片，并通过光整流效应在局部产生了直径约为φ20 μm的近场点状太赫兹辐射源。该辐射源仅激发单个中心超构原子（meta-atom），其反射共振响应高度依赖于超构原子结构的阵列数量与周期参数。本研究以矿泉水、脱氧核糖核酸（Deoxyribonucleic Acid, DNA）、人血等多种液态生物样本开展了检测性能测试：将1 μL的样本直接滴涂在有效检测面积为0.32 mm²（564 μm × 564 μm）的超构表面（meta-surface）上，实验中清晰观测到了显著的共振频率偏移现象。本研究通过实现简便、快速的痕量检测，推动了液态生物样本检测方法的发展，并助力面向液态生物样本的紧凑型高灵敏度太赫兹传感器的研发，具有重要研究价值。