Evanescent wave-based optical biosensors for innovations, medical application and future perspectives

The review systematically examines three representative EW biosensor platforms-surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors, silicon photonic sensors, and optical fiber sensors-highlighting their operating principles and recent breakthroughs. Innovations such as nanomaterial-enhanced sensitivity, chip-scale multiplexing, and portable point-of-care designs are pushing the boundaries of biosensing performance. Furthermore, emerging approaches, including seamless microfluidic integration and artificial intelligence-driven data interpretation, are recognized as essential for developing next-generation intelligent and autonomous biosensors. These advances collectively position EW biosensors to revolutionize precision diagnostics and enable real-time health monitoring, heralding a new era of biomedical science.