Performance analysis of surface plasmon resonance sensor with high-order absentee layer

A surface plasmon resonance(SPR) sensor with a high-order absentee layer on the top of metallic film is proposed.The performance of the SPR sensor with NaCl, MgO, TiO_2 or AlAs high-order absentee layer is analyzed theoretically. The results indicate that the sensitivity and the full width at half maximum of those SPR sensors decrease with the increasing of the order of absentee layer, but the variation of the figure of merit(FOM) depends on the refractive index of absentee layer.By improving the order of absentee layer with high-refractive-index, the FOM of the SPR sensor can be enhanced. The maximum value of FOM for the SPR sensor with high-order TiO_2(or AlAs) absentee layer is 1.059%(or 2.587%) higher than the one with one-order absentee layer. It is believed the proposed SPR sensor with high-order absentee layer will be helpful for developing the high-performance SPR sensors.     

Transverse magnetic peak type metal-clad optical waveguide sensor

Transverse magnetic (TM) waves in a four-layer slab waveguide structure are studied for optical sensing applications. The structure consists of a semi-infinite substrate, a thin metal layer, a medium with negative permittivity and permeability as a guiding layer, and a semi-infinite layer as a cover. The proposed sensor is operated in reflection mode in which the angular position of the reflectance peak is used to detect small changes in the refractive index of the cover medium. The optimal structure parameters that correspond to the sharpest and highest peak are presented. The results reveal that for aluminum metal layer, a thickness of about 9 nm represents the optimum metal thickness. Moreover, the thickness, negative permittivity, and negative permeability of the guiding layer are found to have great impacts on the performance of the proposed optical waveguide sensor.     

准晶体结构光纤表面等离子体共振传感器特性研究

光纤表面等离子体共振传感器在高灵敏度传感和在线实时监测等领域具有重要意义. 设计了一种六重准晶体结构环形通道光纤表面等离子体共振传感器, 基于有限元法对该传感器的传感特性进行了数值模拟. 研究了光纤各结构参量对传感器特性的影响规律. 研究结果表明: 待测液折射率的有效监测范围为1.25–1.331, 最高灵敏度可达26400 nm·RIU^-1, 传感器具有损耗谱杂峰少、探测范围广、灵敏度高、设计灵活性高和光路可弯曲等特点, 在生化检测、公共安全、环境污染监测以及高灵敏度传感等领域具有广泛的应用前景.     

Polarization-insensitive surface plasmon resonance sensor by cross-slit metallic periodic arrays

We propose a plasmonic structure to obtain polarization-insensitive localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor, which consists of cross-slit metallic periodic arrays embedded in the background material. Numerical simulation illustrates that the mechanism of the LSPR sensor is based on the shift of the Fabry–Perot cavity mode resonance peak in the spectrum as the change of the dielectric material properties for the near fields. And one of the transmission dips of the structure is very sensitive to the background materials; the structure could gain the sensitivity (nm/RIU) more than 500 nm/RIU. Meanwhile, the structure holds great potential to achieve high-performance sensors in practical application due to polarization-insensitive virtue.     

Total dissolved solids estimation with a fiber optic sensor of surface plasmon resonance

In this paper, surface plasmon spectra of ion influence was investigated by using a fabricated fiber optic sensors, then spectrum subtraction of ion and non-ionic solutions were developed for field applications of total dissolved solids (TDS) estimation. We confirmed the SPR spectral difference between seven ionic and three non-ionic liquid samples, that for the same refractive index, resonance wavelength in SPR spectrum is much higher for ionic samples than that in the case of non-ionic ones due to the ions influence. The positive correlation of ion content and extra resonance wavelength shift has been established for TDS estimation in water. With three groups of water samples investigation and field testing, the proposed SPR technique showed a good performance comparable to the conductivity method.     

角度型表面等离子体振荡传感器测量精度提高的新方法

设计了一种基于棱镜的角度型表面等离子体振荡自动测量系统,建立了共轴双旋转台的机械结构,提出了新型扫描的角度测量法,得到表面等离子体振荡谐振曲线。研究了影响系统多次测量一致性的因素,提出了减少采样点、提高单点数据采集次数,并采用三级变步长的测量方法,测量时间缩短至小于原来的1/10,使系统测量精度从1E 4折射率单位提高到了4E-5折射率单位。     

Optical method to differentiate tequilas based on angular modulation surface plasmon resonance

We report the use of the prism-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique to differentiate between three types of tequilas white or silver, aged, and extra-aged. We used the angular interrogation method in which the structure is based on prism fabricated with BK7 glass coated with a gold layer as the SPR active layer. Our study was centered in the analysis of the resonant angle of the SPR generated by the three types of tequilas produced by the three major tequila-producing firms. We observed that each tequila sample produced a well-differentiated SPR curve. We found that resonant angle of the SPR curve produced by silver tequilas is larger than that produced by the aged and extra-aged tequilas of the same producer firm. We found that the position of the SPR curve is not exclusively determined by the alcohol contents; we believe that there are other parameters derived from the aging process that should be considered. The refractive index of the tequilas used in this study was estimated using the measured resonant angle.     

Quantitative model for the change of optical resonance in neural activity detection systems based on surface plasmon resonance

The mechanism of neural activity detection using the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon was theoretically explored in this paper. Investigating the mechanism of SPR neural recordings has been difficult due to the complex relationship between different physiological and physical processes such as excitation of a nerve fiber and coherent charge fluctuations on the metal surface. This paper examines how these different processes may be connected by introducing a set of compartmental theoretical models that deal with the molecular scale phenomena; Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation, which was used to describe the ion concentration change under the time varying electrostatic potential, Drude-Lorentz electron model, which was used to describe electron dynamics under the time varying external forces, and a Fresnel's three-layered model, which expresses the reflectivity of the SPR system in terms of the dielectric constants. Each physical theoretical model was numerically analyzed using the finite element method (FEM) formulated for the PB equation and the Green's method formulated for the Drude-Lorentz electron equation. The model predicts that the ionic thermal force originating from the opening of the K⁺ ion channel is fundamental for modifying the dipole moment of the gold's free electron; thus, the reflectivity is changed in the SPR system. The discussion was done also on important attributes of the SPR signal such as biphasic fluctuation and the electrical noise-free characteristics.     

Optical characteristics of subwavelength metallic grating coupled porous film surface plasmon resonance sensor with high sensitivity

A high performance sub-wavelength metallic grating coupled surface plasmon resonance (SWMGCSPR) sensor with metal and porous composite layer is proposed. Rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) is conducted to prove the design feasibility, characterize the sensor's performance and determine geometric parameters of the structure, which is also employed to compute the electromagnetic (EM) field distributions at the resonant wavelengths. Parameters of sensing platform are optimized to achieve the best performance of the SPR sensor. Obtained results reveal that the proposed structure can excite SPR with negative diffraction order of SWMG. Both wavelength and angular sensitivities are greatly enhanced because surface plasmon wave (SPW) exhibits a large penetration depth which will enlarge the distance of interactions between SP and analytes. The detection sensitivities and quality parameters are estimated to be 700 nm/RIU and 509°/RIU with full width at half maximum (FWHM) less than 2.5 nm using the same optimized structure.     

Fiber optic sensor based on surface plasmon resonance with nanoparticle films

This paper reports on a novel design of a fiber optic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on nanoparticle metal film. The performance of the proposed sensor in terms of its signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and sensitivity under different conditions related to the film with spherical gold nanoparticles embedded in a host material is theoretically analyzed. In particular, the effect of the parameters such as gold particle size, film thickness, and refractive index of host material is studied and the possible explanation, whenever required, is given. The numerical results presented in this paper leads to fulfill the requirement of significant optimization of the important design parameters to achieve a high SNR and sensitivity of a fiber optic SPR sensor with nanoparticle films.     

Numerical simulation of wavelength-modulated surface plasmon resonance-based fiber optic sensor

A systematically theoretical analysis of a surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based optical fiber sensor is carried out. A three-layer mode (fiber core/gold/sample) is used to simulate the SPR-based optical fiber sensor. Several parameters including the thickness of gold layer, numerical aperture (NA) of fiber, sensing region length and fiber core diameter have been investigated to evaluate the sensitivity and measurement accuracy of sensor. A detailed explanation for the effect of these parameters on the sensor is presented to give a guideline to optimally design the SPR-based optical fiber sensor.     

基于表面等离子体共振传感器的金胶体表征

设计了表面等离子体共振(SPR)传感器实验装置,制备了金膜和金纳米胶体溶液,测量了不同厚度金膜和不同浓度金胶体溶液的SPR角谱,得到了不同浓度金胶体溶液的折射率.     

基于表面等离子体共振的新型超宽带微结构光纤传感器研究

基于表面等离子体共振的微结构光纤传感器具有高灵敏、免标记和实时监控等优点.如今,由于此类传感器广泛应用于食品安全控制、环境检测、生物分子分析物检测等诸多领域而受到大量研究.然而,目前所报道的绝大多数此类传感器只能应用于可见光或近中红外传感.因此,对可应用于中红外传感的表面等离子体共振微结构光纤传感器的研究是一项极具挑战...     

Sensitivity improvement of aluminum-based far-ultraviolet nearly guided-wave surface plasmon resonance sensor

An aluminum (Al) based nearly guided-wave surface plasmon resonance (NGWSPR) sensor is investigated in the far-ultraviolet (FUV) region. By simultaneously optimizing the thickness of Al and dielectric films, the sensitivity of the optimized Al-based FUV-NGWSPR sensor increases from 183°/RIU to 309°/RIU, and its figure of merit rises from 26.47 RIU^-1 to 32.59 RIU^-1 when the refractive index of dielectric increases from 2 to 5. Compared with a traditional FUV-SPR sensor without dielectric, the optimized FUV-NGWSPR sensor can realize simultaneous improvement of sensitivity and figure of merit. In addition, the FUV-NGWSPR sensor with realistic materials (diamond, Ta₂O₅, and GaN) is also investigated, and 137.84%, 52.70%, and 41.89% sensitivity improvements are achieved respectively. This work proposes a method for performance improvement of FUV-SPR sensors by exciting nearly guided-wave, and could be helpful for the high-performance SPR sensor in the short-wavelength region.     

用表面等离子体共振传感器检测纳米间距

结合物理光学原理和表面等离子体共振（SPR）角度传感器,提出了可以突破衍射极限的纳米间距检测方法。在理论上建立起纳米间距和位相改变量之间的函数关系,借助于SPR角度传感器的高灵敏性,提出通过检测出射光束振动方向的p分量和s分量的位相差值来实现纳米间距的实时检测。模拟结果显示：纳米间距改变量从-0.5～0.5μm变化时,位相改变量可实现-150°～150°的变化,检测灵敏度〉1 nm。该检测方法能够实现10 nm以下间距的灵敏检测,且具有结构简单,易于操作,实时检测的特点。     

Theoretical analysis of surface plasmon resonance based fiber optic sensor using indium nitride

An extremely sensitive surface plasmon resonance based fiber optic sensor with indium nitride (InN) layer coated on the core of the optical fiber is theoretically analyzed. The proposed sensor exhibits high sensitivity in the near infrared region of spectrum. The optimized value of thickness of InN layer is found to be 70 nm. Possessing high sensitivity of 4493 nm/RIU, the 70 nm thick InN layer based fiber optic SPR sensor illustrates good sensing behavior.     

契形结构光纤表面等离子体共振传感器研究

提出了一种契形端面结构的光纤表面等离子体共振(SPR)传感器激励模型. 采用时域有限差分法对契形SPR波导的共振模型进行数值模拟, 通过在光纤出射端抛磨契形角度并进行敏感膜修饰, 制出具有契形端面结构的类Kretschmann微棱镜式光纤SPR传感器, 实现激发SPR的光波调制.结果表明, 在1.3330–1.4215折射率范围内, 制备的契形光纤SPR传感器相对于常规光纤SPR传感器, 其平均灵敏度提高了近1–6倍, 1倍和6倍分别出现在小角度结构(15° 契形) 传感器和大角度结构(60°契形) 传感器, 且仍保持 10^-5 等级的分辨率. 该类型结构的传感器具有契形端面激励模式, 设计灵活性高、制备工艺简单、可微量检测样本等优点, 能够很好地适应于不同环境和测量条件的实际生化检测、环境监测需求. 关键词： 光纤传感器 表面等离子体共振 契形端面结构 折射率灵敏度     

Numerical study of a highly sensitive surface plasmon resonance sensor based on circular-lattice holey fiber

A new design of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor employing circular-lattice holey fiber to achieve high-sensitivity detection is proposed. The sensing performance of the proposed sensor is numerically investigated and the results indicate that our proposed SPR sensor can be applied to the near-mid infrared detection. Moreover, the maximum wavelength sensitivity of our proposed sensor can reach as high as 1.76×10⁴ nm/refractive index unit (RIU) and the maximum wavelength interrogation resolution can be up to 5.68×10^-6 RIU when the refractive index (RI) of analyte lies in (1.31, 1.36). Thanks to its excellent sensing performance, our proposed SPR sensor will have great potential applications for biological analytes detection, food safety control, bio-molecules detection and so on.     

Surface plasmon resonance based fiber optic sensor utilizing indium oxide

A highly sensitive surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based fiber optic sensor with indium oxide (In₂O₃) layer coated on the core of the optical fiber is presented and theoretically analyzed. The sensitivity of the SPR based fiber optic sensor has been evaluated numerically. It is shown that the proposed SPR based fiber optic sensor with In₂O₃ layer possesses high sensitivity in the near infrared region of spectrum, which needs attention to many environmental and security applications and offers more accurate and highly reproducible measurements. In addition, the sensitivity of the SPR based fiber optic sensor decreases with the increase in the thickness of In₂O₃ layer. With sensitivity as high as 4600 nm/RIU, the 170 nm thick In₂O₃ layer based fiber optic SPR sensor demonstrates better performance.     

Modelling of surface plasmon resonance sensor for detection of mass concentration of ethanol and methanol in a binary mixture

Modelling of a surface plasmon resonance sensor for detection of ethanol or methanol content in water is presented. The reflectivities of these sensors are derived using transfer matrix method and hence the corresponding sensitivity and detection accuracy are obtained in the presence of high index overlayer, like silicon and chalcogenide. It is observed that the resonant wavelength of surface plasmon resonance sensor is shifted toward higher wavelength with increase of refractive index and thickness of overlayer. Hence, by adjusting their values, the desired spectral operation range of this sensor is obtained. The sensitivity of this sensor with silicon overlayer is larger than the chalcogenide overlayer but at the same time detection accuracy is smaller. This sensor can be used to detect the mass concentration of ethanol, methanol and other similar materials. A method to obtain the percentage mass concentration of ethanol is discussed.