Refractive Index Sensor for the Detection of Malaria Using an Elliptical Channel-Based Photonic Crystal Fiber

In this work, a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) based RI biosensor for early detection of malaria in individuals using red blood cell (RBC) variation monitoring is presented. The proposed PCF consist of three layers of hexagonal lattice in which elliptical air holes are used. This PCF contain small vertical elliptical channel on which RBCs samples are present. Because of RI difference between samples of both healthy and malaria-infected human RBCs, the peak wavelength of the infected RBC samples deviates from that of the normal RBC samples. With change in highest wavelength, the projected study supports in the finding of the numerous phases of RBCs infected with malaria, namely the Trophozoite phase, Schizont phase and Ring phase. The calculated wavelength sensitivities of the proposed biosensor are 3157.89nm/RIU, 3103.44nm/RIU and 3571.42nm/RIU in the x-polarized direction and 2631.57nm/RIU, 2758.6nm/RIU and 2857.14nm/RIU in the y-polarized direction for Trophozoite phase, Schizont phase and Ring phase respectively. The detection limit is 0.029 which is maximum for the proposed biosensor. Because of little detection limit and improved sensing performance of the suggested RI biosensor based on PCF make it highly appropriate in diagnosis of malaria infection and biological study.