Introduction to the Series

In 2004, SPIE launched a new book series under the editorship of Prof. John Greivenkamp, the SPIE Field Guides, focused on SPIE’s core areas of Optics and Photonics. The idea of these Field Guides is to give concise presentations of the key subtopics of a subject area or discipline, typically covering each subtopic on a single page, using the figures, equations, and brief explanations that summarize the key concepts. The aim is to give readers a handy desk or portable reference that provides basic, essential information about principles, techniques, or phenomena, including definitions and descriptions, key equations, illustrations, application examples, design considerations, and additional resources.

The series has grown to an extensive collection that covers a range of topics from broad fundamental ones to more specialized areas. Community response to the SPIE Field Guides has been exceptional. The concise and easy-to-use format has made these small-format, spiral-bound books essential references for students and researchers. Many readers tell us that they take their favorite one with them wherever they go. The popularity of the series led to its expansion into areas of general physics in 2019, with the launch of Field Guides to General Physics.

The core series continues as the SPIE Field Guides to Optical Sciences and Technologies. The concept of these books is a format-intensive presentation based on figures and equations supplemented by concise explanations. In most cases, this modular approach places a single topic on a page, and provides full coverage of that topic on that page. Highlights, insights, and rules of thumb are displayed in sidebars to the main text. The appendices at the end of each Field Guide provide additional information such as related material outside the main scope of the volume, key mathematical relationships, and alternative methods. While complete in their coverage, the concise presentation may be best as a supplement to traditional texts for those new to the field.

The SPIE Field Guides are intended to be living documents. The modular page-based presentation format allows them to be updated and expanded. In the future, we will look to expand the use of interactive electronic resources to supplement the printed material. We are interested in your suggestions for new topics as well as what material should be added to an individual volume to make these books more useful to you. Please contact us at fieldguides@SPIE.org.

J. Scott Tyo, Series Editor

The University of New South Wales

Canberra, Australia

Related Titles from SPIE Press

To my parents, Teresa and Eugenio

Table of Contents

Preface

The main aim of this Field Guide is to provide a concise, self-contained, but rigorous overview of the different processes, techniques, and configurations used to develop optical biosensors. Several representative applications in many different fields are provided. Other practical aspects, such as commonly used biorecognition elements and common methods of bioreceptor immobilization, are also presented.

In spite of the strong interdisciplinary character intrinsic to the field of optical biosensing, the book is written to be accessible to scientists and engineers with very diverse backgrounds. But this Field Guide is also intended to interest undergraduate and doctoral students seeking a broad overview of this complex field in a short amount of time.

In order to accomplish these objectives, an extensive collection of figures and tables is included. Also, given its introductory nature, a large number of references to authoritative reviews are provided for readers who want to deepen their understanding of specific topics.

Raúl J. Martín-Palma

October 2020