Abstract
We present fluorescence detection of single H1N1 viruses with enhanced signal to noise ratio (SNR) achieved by multi-spot excitation in liquid-core anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguides (ARROWs). Solid-core Y-splitting ARROW waveguides are fabricated orthogonal to the liquid-core section of the chip, creating multiple excitation spots for the analyte. We derive expressions for the SNR increase after signal processing, and analyze its dependence on signal levels and spot number. Very good agreement between theoretical calculations and experimental results is found. SNR enhancements up to 5x104 are demonstrated.