PhotonMed project has achieved substantial progress in advancing photonic technologies for medical applications. In silicon photonics, the project developed CMOS-compatible plasmonic waveguides with low propagation losses and high fabrication yields, enabling scalable biosensing. SOI and SiN waveguides were optimized for integration with biosensors, ultrasound transducers and external cavity lasers, supporting applications in wearable and implantable devices. Laser development covered a broad spectral range, with hybrid InP/Si and GaSb/SiN/SOI lasers advancing toward tunable and mid-infrared sources, while quantum cascade lasers are being miniaturized for integration into portable diagnostic tools. Sensor innovations included ultra-compact NIR spectrometers and integrated photonic ultrasound transducers, both tailored for non-invasive and intravascular diagnostics. Fiber optic integration focused on creating miniature, sterilizable assemblies for endoscopic and wearable applications, with automated alignment and packaging techniques ensuring precision and biocompatibility. Finally, opto-fluidic platforms combined microfluidics with photonic sensors to enable compact, automated sample analysis. This included the development of microfluidic cartridges, elastic opto-fluidic systems with microneedles, gas-phase sensing modules, and scalable surface functionalization processes. Collectively, these advancements position PhotonMed to deliver manufacturable, high-performance photonic solutions for next-generation medical diagnostics and monitoring.
