Coupling-induced spectral splitting for plasmonic sensing with ultra-high figure of merit

We investigate a kind of spectral splitting effect in a plasmonic multilayer system, which consists of stacked Al_2 O_3 and SiO_2 layers, a thin metal film, and a dielectric prism substrate. The results illustrate that an obvious peak appears in the center of the surface plasmon resonance(SPR)-induced reflection spectral dip in the structure with the SiO_2/Al_2 O_3/SiO_2 layers. This spectral splitting response can be regarded as an electromagnetically induced transparency(EIT) like effect,which is attributed to the coupling and interference between the SPR on the metal film and guided-mode resonance(GMR)in the Al_2 O_3 layer. The theoretical calculations agree well with the numerical simulations. It is also found that the reflection spectrum will be further split by the introduction of another Al_2 O_3 layer into the multilayer structure. The reintroduced GMR in the Al_2 O_3 layer changes the coupling and interference process between the SPR and GMR field, giving rise to the generation of ultra-narrow reflection dip. Especially, the spectral splitting can facilitate the realization of plasmonic sensors with ultra-high figure of merit(583), which is about 5 times larger than that of traditional SPR sensors. These results will provide a new avenue to the light field manipulation and optical functionalities, especially biochemical and environmental sensing.     

High sensitivity refractive index gas sensing enhanced by surface plasmon resonance with nano-cavity antenna array

The surface plasmon resonance gas sensor is presented for refractive index detection using nano-cavity antenna array.The gas sensor monitors the changes of the refractive index by measuring the spectral shift of the resonance dip,for modulating the wavelength of incident light.It is demonstrated that minute changes in the refractive index of a medium close to the surface of a metal film,owing to a shift in the resonance dip of the wavelength,can be detected.The average detection sensitivity is about 3200 nm/RIU(refractive index units),which is more than twice that of a metal grating-based gas sensor.The reflectivity of the surface plasmon resonance dip is only ～ 0.03%,and the full widths at half maximum(FWHMs) of bandwidth of the angle and wavelength are ～ 0.20° and 4.71nm,respectively.     

等离子体纳米结构中的Fano共振效应及其应用

Fano共振效应是一种具有非对称线型的共振散射现象,起源于共振过程和非共振过程的量子干涉效应。近年来,在等离子体纳米结构中Fano共振现象也被发现,并成为纳米光子学的一个研究热点。等离子体Fano共振通常具有较窄的光谱线宽,且不能直接与入射光耦合,只能局域在近场,强的近场局域特性可以获得巨大的表面电磁场增强。由于等离子体Fano共振独特的光学特性,已经被应用到单分子探测、高灵敏度传感、增强光谱、完美吸收、电磁诱导透明和慢光光子学器件等众多领域当中。     

Sensitivity enhancement for a multimode fiber sensor with an axisymmetric metal grating layer

This paper proposes a novel design for a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) fiber sensor with an axisymmetric sub-wavelength metal grating layer. The relationship between the sensor performance (the sensitivity S and the quality factor Q of the SPR dip) and the characteristic parameters are investigated. Numerical simulation results show that the proposed sensor can achieve a maximum sensitivity of 13,000 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) for a refractive index range from 1.3 to 1.4.     

Surface plasmon resonance sensor based on diffraction grating with high sensitivity and high resolution

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on diffraction grating with high sensitivity and high resolution is proposed. The sensitivity of grating coupled SPR sensor based on angular interrogation is enhanced by replacing +1st diffraction order of metallic grating with −1st diffraction order to excite the surface plasmon. To improve the resolution of grating-based SPR sensor, aluminum is used as an SPR-active metal. The reflectivity dip of the Al-based sensor is sharper than an Au-based one, which is the mostly widely used as SPR-active metal. And 3-nm-thick gold film is deposited on the grating surface in order to protect the Al layer from getting oxidized. Numerical simulations show that the sensor not only has high sensitivity and high resolution, but also exhibits good linearity.     

Cross-point analysis for a multimode fiber sensor based on surface plasmon resonance

A novel analysis based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with a side-polished multimode fiber and a white-light (halogen light) source is presented. The sensing system is a multimode optical fiber in which half of the core has been polished away and a 40 nm gold layer is deposited on to the polished surface by dc sputter. The SPR dip in the optical spectrum is investigated with an optical spectrum analyzer (OSA). In our SPR fiber sensor, the use of liquids with different refractive indices leads to a shift in the spectral dip in the SPR curve. The cross point (CP) of the two SPR spectra obtained from the refractive-index liquid and the deionized water measurements was observed with the OSA. The CP is shifted sensitively in wavelength from 630 to 1300 nm relative to a change in the refractive index of the liquid from 1.34 to 1.46. High sensitivities of 1.9 x 10(-6) refractive-index units (RIUs) in the range of the refractive index of the liquid from 1.40 to 1.44 of 5.7 x 10(-7) RIUs above the value of 1.44 are proposed and demonstrated in our novel SPR analysis.     

基于银纳米线的类熊猫型微结构光纤传感器

设计了基于银纳米线等离子体共振效应的大孔径微流通道的类熊猫型微结构光纤传感器,采用全矢量有限元法对该传感器进行了数值研究,讨论了待测液折射率等参数对光纤传感器的损耗和灵敏度的影响。结果表明:随着待测液折射率和银纳米线直径的增大,损耗和光谱峰值λpeak都将增大;并且当银纳米线的直径增加到一定程度时,损耗和灵敏度都会呈现多峰值现象。最后取银纳米线直径d=150 nm,得到最大幅度灵敏度为910 dB/RIU,最大光谱灵敏度为1 400 nm/RIU。     

D3h和D4h等离激元超分子的Fano共振光谱的 子集合分解解释

针对D_3h和D_4h对称构型金属纳米多颗粒集合即等离激元超分子表面等离激元共振光谱的子集合分解及其相对应的Fano共振光谱低谷的产生机理, 本文运用群论的方法做出了详细的分析研究. 运用与群论中求解分子简正振动模式类似的方法, 推导证实了在线偏振光入射时, D_nh环形多颗粒只有2个电偶极表面等离激元共振模式, 增加中心颗粒会使模式增加1个. 对D_3h和D_4h等离激元超分子的表面等离激元共振模式进行不可约表示基向量正交分解分析表明, Fano共振光谱低谷是由于两个起主要作用的相邻模式包含有共同的正交基向量, 并形成相消干涉而产生. 这进一步验证了Fano共振光谱低谷的起源除传统观点(即源自于宽频超辐射亮模式和窄频低辐射暗模式之间的耦合)之外的另一种解释视角.     

Evaluation of gold nanowire pairs as a potential negative index material

A metamaterial consisting of pairs of metallic nanowires, separated by a dielectric spacer, has been fabricated and spectrally characterized in the visible and near-infrared spectral domain. It is shown, that the structure exhibits both a plasmonic and a magnetic resonance depending on its geometry and orientation with respect to the illuminating wave field. In particular, we investigate the influence of the thickness of the spacer layer on the spectral position of the resonances and show that, for an appropriate adjustment, both resonances coincide. Measurements of the amplitude and the phase of the transmitted wave are presented. It is also shown that the material is highly anisotropic with respect to the angle of incidence, as the plasmonic resonance wavelength depends strongly on it whereas the magnetic resonance does not show this sensitivity. All experimental results are supported by numerical simulations. PACS 81.07.-b; 78.67.-n; 78.20.-Ci     

Sensitivity enhancement in solid state (15)N NMR by indirect detection with high-speed magic angle spinning

Enhancement of sensitivity in solid state (15)N NMR by indirect detection through (1)H NMR signals under high-speed magic angle spinning and high-field conditions is demonstrated experimentally on two (15)N-labeled peptides, polycrystalline AlaGlyGly and the helix-forming, 17-residue peptide MB(i + 4)EK in lyophilized form. Sensitivity enhancement factors ranging from 2.0 to 3.2 are observed experimentally, depending on the (15)N and (1)H linewidths and polarization transfer efficiencies. The (1)H-detected two-dimensional (1)H/(15)N correlation spectrum of AlaGlyGly illustrates the possibility of increased spectral resolution and resonance assignments in indirectly detected experiments, in addition to the sensitivity enhancement.     

金纳米棒复合体的消光特性

金属纳米颗粒局域表面等离激元共振时能够产生消光和近场增强效应已经成为国内外研究的热点. 应用时域有限差分法对L形纳米棒与普通纳米棒构成的金纳米棒复合体的消光光谱及其近场增强和电流矢量密度分布进行了研究. 计算结果表明, 普通纳米棒和L形纳米棒二聚体的光谱响应与纳米棒间的间距有关, 而金纳米棒复合体的消光光谱可通过调整L形纳米棒与普通纳米棒间的间距、L形纳米棒的臂长度以及普通纳米棒的长度进行调谐. 此外金纳米棒复合体可以分解成L形纳米棒二聚体和普通纳米棒二聚体两个部分, 通过分别改变L形纳米棒的臂长和普通纳米棒的长度, 对比L形纳米棒二聚体和普通纳米棒二聚体间的共振峰位置变化, 可以更直观地了解金纳米棒复合体消光光谱线型的变化. 这些结果可用于指导金纳米棒复合体纳米光子器件的设计, 以满足其在表面增强拉曼散射和生物传感等方面应用.     

Humidity Sensing Using Gelatin and Cobalt Chloride Coating on Indium Tin Oxide-Coated Long-Period Grating

Abstract

In this article, humidity sensing using gelatin and cobalt chloride on indium tin oxide coated long-period gratings was proposed and demonstrated. First, a thin overlay of indium tin oxide was deposited on a long-period grating by using a simple dip coating methodology. Similarly, a combination of gelatin and cobalt chloride was deposited onto the indium tin oxide layer. A field emission scanning electron microscope provided detailed evidence of the attachment of amalgamation on long-period gratings. The designed sensor showed a significant shift in the resonance wavelength when the relative humidity varied from 40% to 95%, with a sensitivity of 0.12 nm/% relative humidity and an accuracy of 98.45%.     

Fano resonances in dipole-quadrupole plasmon coupling nanorod dimers

We theoretically investigate the plasmon coupling in metallic nanorod dimers. A pronounced dip is found in the extinction spectrum due to plasmonic Fano resonance, which is induced by destructive interference between the bright dipole plasmon of a short nanorod and the dark quadrupole plasmon of a long nanorod. This Fano interference can also be explained as the coupling between the bright and dark modes both supported by the whole dimer. The Fano resonance can be tuned by adjusting the spatial or spectral separation between two nanorods in the dimer.     

基于银/二氧化钛复合膜的表面等离子共振气体传感器

表面等离子体共振是一种免标记的传感技术,当介质周围的介电常数发生改变时,则SPR谐振光谱特性也会随之改变.因此表面等离子体共振传感技术已广泛应用于生物化学和环境监测等领域.由于二氧化钛(TiO2)覆盖层不仅可以保护金属层,还能调谐SPR谐振的光谱强度和谐振波长于近红外波段,应用于1550 nm的光纤传感,其氧化还原反应...     

Unveiling facet effects in metallic nanoparticles to design an efficient plasmonic nanostructure

We investigated the role of nanoparticle surface morphology (facets) in estimating the plasmonic properties of nanoparticle-on-a-mirror design or NPOM in the presence of a thicker (20 nm) dielectric layer. Nanoparticle surface morphology differences ranging from smoother surface to multi-facets in the form of a sphere (NSOM), cube (NCOM), and singe bottom faceted sphere (SBF-NSOM) shapes have been employed. Three significant optical properties were observed. Better longer wavelength near-field and far-field resonance spectral positions from NCOM are achieved. Near-field enhancement extracted from SBF-NSOM outperformed NCOM by more than ∼ two times. Plasmonic gap mode enhancement is absent for NSOM in the presence of a larger dielectric layer. The availability of plasmonic gap modes in NCOM and SBF-NSOM, even at a 20 nm thick dielectric layer, is highly beneficial for various plasmonic applications. These differences in optical properties are understood by the role of NP facets in influencing the plasmonic cavity region.     

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.     

超二代微光像增强器多碱光电阴极膜厚测量研究

介绍了多碱光电阴极的光学性能和光谱反射率特性,测量了多碱阴极的光谱反射率曲线.该曲线与普通光学膜层光谱反射率曲线相比,形状较不规则,原因是多碱阴极膜层存在光吸收.光谱反射率曲线上的干涉峰是入射光在玻璃与阴极膜层界面反射和在阴极膜层与真空的界面反射的两束光发生干涉的结果.根据干涉的原理,如果阴极膜层所反射的两束光的光程差为二分之一波长的偶倍数时,光谱反射将出现干涉加强峰;如果阴极膜层所反射的两束光的光程差为二分之一波长的奇倍数时,光谱反射将出现干涉减弱峰.根据超二代像增强器光谱反射干涉峰对应的波长,可以计算出其阴极膜层的厚度约为191 nm,比二代像增强器阴极膜层的厚度增加了38％.多碱阴极膜层厚度是影响多碱阴极灵敏度的一个关键参量,仅仅靠人眼观察阴极膜层颜色的方法不准确.实践证明,利用光谱反射的方法来计算阴极膜层厚度的方法简单有效.如果在多碱阴极的制作过程中进行光谱反射率的监控,那么将可以精确控制阴极膜层的厚度,对多碱阴极的研究将会更加深入,多碱阴极的灵敏度也将会得到进一步的提升.     

Total internal reflection ellipsometry: ultrahigh sensitivity for protein adsorption on metal surfaces

Total internal reflection ellipsometry (TIRE) is used to study adsorption of human serum albumin and fibrinogen on thin gold films. TIRE shows very high sensitivity for protein monolayers adsorbed on metal surfaces when surface plasmon resonance effects are utilized. The measured data, expressed in ellipsometric angles psi and D are of several orders of magnitude larger in comparison with those from similar experiments performed with traditional ellipsometry. TIRE in spectral mode opens a new path for precise studies of organic layers adsorbed on metal surfaces, with a potential for resolving the adsorbed layer microstructure.     

Absorption enhancement and sensing properties of Ag diamond nanoantenna arrays

Noble metal nanoantenna could effectively enhance light absorption and increase detection sensitivity. In this paper,we propose a periodic Ag diamond nanoantenna array to increase the absorption of thin-film solar cells and to improve the detection sensitivity via localized surface plasmon resonance. The effect of nanoantenna arrays on the absorption enhancement is theoretically investigated using the finite difference time domain(FDTD) method with manipulating the spectral response by geometrical parameters of nanoantennas. A maximum absorption enhancement factor of 1.51 has been achieved in this study. In addition, the relation between resonant wavelength(intensity reflectivity) and refractive index is discussed in detail. When detecting the environmental index using resonant wavelengths, a maximum detection sensitivity of about 837 nm/RIU(refractive index unit) and a resolution of about 10-3RIU can be achieved. Moreover, when using the reflectivity, the sensitivity can be as high as 0.93 AU/RIU. Furthermore, we also have theoretically studied the effectiveness of nanoantennas in distinguishing chemical reagents, solution concentrations, and solution allocation ratios by detecting refractive index. From the results presented in this paper, we conclude that this work might be useful for biosensor detection and other types of detections.     

Optical fiber refractometers based on indium tin oxide coatings fabricated by sputtering

This Letter presents the fabrication of optical fiber refractometers based on indium tin oxide (ITO) coatings deposited by sputtering with response in the visible region. ITO thin films have been sputtered by means of a rotating mechanism that enables the fabrication of smooth and homogeneous coatings onto the optical fiber core. The ITO coating acts as a resonance supporting layer. This permits us to couple light from the waveguide to the ITO-coating/external medium region at specific wavelength ranges. The device is sensitive to external medium refractive index, which allows its utilization as a refractometer. The sensitivity is dependent on the coating thickness, ranging from 523.21 to 1221 nm/refractive index unit in the explored sensors. The sensor development process is time effective compared to other techniques such as dip coating or layer-by-layer self-assembly, which is interesting in terms of mass production.