Microcavity- and microlaser-based optical barcoding : a review of encoding techniques and applications

Rehman Anwar, Abdur (author), Mur, Maruša (author), Humar, Matjaž (author)

Optical microbarcodes have recently received a great deal of interest because of their suitability for a wide range of applications, such as multiplexed assays, cell tagging and tracking, anticounterfeiting, and product labeling. Spectral barcodes are especially promising because they are robust and have a simple readout. In addition, microcavity- and microlaser-based barcodes have very narrow spectra and therefore have the potential to generate millions of unique barcodes. This review begins with a discussion of the different types of barcodes and then focuses specifically on microcavity-based barcodes. While almost any kind of optical microcavity can be used for barcoding, currently whispering-gallery microcavities (in the form of spheres and disks), nanowire lasers, Fabry−Pérot lasers, random lasers, and distributed feedback lasers are the most frequently employed for this purpose. In microcavity-based barcodes, the information is encoded in various ways in the properties of the emitted light, most frequently in the spectrum. The barcode is dependent on the properties of the microcavity, such as the size, shape, and the gain materials. Various applications of these barcodes, including cell tracking, anticounterfeiting, and product labeling are described. Finally, the future prospects for microcavity- and microlaser-based barcodes are discussed.

• Language: English
• Keywords: barcodes, tagging, microcavities, microlasers, cell tracking, cavities, fluorescence, lasers, quantum mechanics
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.02 - Review Article
• Organization: FMF - Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: Str. 1202–1224
• Numbering: Vol. 10, iss. 5
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-147232
• UDC: 621.3
• ISSN on article: 2330-4022
• DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.2c01611
• COBISS.SI-ID: 154411267
• Publication date in RUL: 27.06.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: ACS photonics
• Shortened title: ACS photonics
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• ISSN: 2330-4022
• COBISS.SI-ID: 520397849

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.