Patent ID: 8137981

Claim:
An apparatus comprising a nanowire waveguide with first and second ends, the second end comprising a nanoparticle, the nanowire waveguide configured to transmit radiation from the first end to the second end to illuminate the nanoparticle, the apparatus configured such that the nanoparticle is capable of being in close proximity to an analyte to allow for detection of said analyte, wherein: the apparatus further comprises a radiation source capable of emitting radiation, the first end of the nanowire waveguide attached to the radiation source to direct radiation generated by the radiation source to the second end of the nanowire waveguide, the radiation source is a substrate capable of emitting radiation, and the nanoparticle is configured to support surface plasmons, and the radiation emitted by the substrate is configured to excite a localised surface plasmon resonance at the interface between the nanoparticle and the analyte, and wherein the substrate and nanowire waveguide together form a p-n junction of a light-emitting diode.