Slow-light enhanced subwavelength plasmonic waveguide refractive index sensors

Chiral plasmonic sensing: From the perspective of light-matter interaction

Molecular chirality is represented as broken mirror symmetry in the structural orientation of constituent atoms and plays a pivotal role at every scale of nature. Since the discovery of the chiroptic property of chiral molecules, the characterization of molecular chirality is important in the fields of biology, physics, and chemistry. Over the centuries, the field of optical chiral sensing was based on chiral light-matter interactions between chiral molecules and polarized light. Starting from simple optics-based sensing, the utilization of plasmonic materials that could control local chiral light-matter interactions by squeezing light into molecules successfully facilitated chiral sensing into noninvasive, ultrasensitive, and accurate detection. In this Review, the importance of plasmonic materials and their engineering in chiral sensing are discussed based on the principle of chiral light-matter interactions and the theory of optical chirality and chiral perturbation; thus, this Review can serve as a milestone for the proper design and utilization of plasmonic nanostructures for improved chiral sensing.

Decay Rates of Plasmonic Elliptical Nanostructures via Effective Medium Theory

This paper investigates the spontaneous decay rate of elliptical plasmonic nanostructures. The refractive index was analyzed using the effective medium theory (EMT). Then, the polarizability, spontaneous radiative, non-radiative decay rate, and electric field enhancement factor were characterized for the targeted elliptical nanostructures at different aspect ratios. All of the optical analyses were analyzed at different distances between the excited fluorescent coupled atom and the plasmonic nanostructure (down to 100 nm). This work is promising in selecting the optimum elliptical nanostructure according to the required decay rates for optical conversion efficiency control in energy harvesting for solar cells and optical sensing applications.

Narrowband Light Reflection Resonances from Waveguide Modes for High-Quality Sensors

Designing various nanostructures to achieve narrowband light reflection resonances is desirable for optical sensing applications. In this work, we theoretically demonstrate two narrowband light reflection resonances resulting from the excitations of the zero-order transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) waveguide modes, in a waveguide structure consisting of an Au sphere array on an indium tin oxide (ITO) spacer on a silica (SiO₂) substrate. The positions of the light reflection resonances can be tuned easily, by varying the array periods of gold (Au) spheres or by changing the thickness of the ITO film. More importantly, the light reflection resonances have a very narrow bandwidth, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of which can be reduced to only several nanometers for the zero-order TM and TE waveguide modes. The conventionally defined performance parameters of sensors, sensitivity (S) and figure of merit (FOM), have quite high values of about 80 nm/RIU and 32, respectively, in the visible wavelength range.

Design and analysis of refractive index sensors based on slotted photonic crystal nanobeam cavities with sidewall gratings

We propose and numerically investigate a refractive index sensor based on a one-dimensional slotted photonic crystal nanobeam cavity with sidewall gratings for refractive index sensing in a gaseous environment. By using the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method, we demonstrate that our proposed sensor simultaneously possesses a high quality factor of $ 3.71 \times {10^6} $3.71×10⁶ and a high sensitivity of 508 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) at the resonant wavelength near 1583 nm, yielding a detection limit as low as $ 1.97 \times {10^{ - 6}} $1.97×10^-6 RIU. Moreover, the mode volume of the cavity's fundamental resonant mode is found to be as small as $ 0.022(\lambda /n)^3 $0.022(λ/n)³, resulting in a very compact effective sensing area. We finally study and assess the effect of fabrication disorder on the performances of our proposed sensor. We believe our proposed sensor will be a promising candidate for applications not only in multiplexed biochemical sensing and multielement mixture detection, but also in optical trapping of single biomolecules or nanoparticles.

Ultra-compact high-sensitivity plasmonic sensor based on Fano resonance with symmetry breaking ring cavity

Miniaturizing optical devices with desired functionality is a key prerequisite for nanoscale photonic circuits. Based on Fano resonance, an on-chip high-sensitivity sensor, composed of two waveguides coupling with a symmetry breaking ring resonator, is theoretically and numerically investigated. The established theoretical model agrees well with the finite-difference time-domain simulations, which reveals the physics of Fano resonance. Differing with the coupled cavities, the Fano resonance originates from the interference between symmetry-mode and asymmetry-mode in a single symmetry-broken cavity. The spectral responses and sensing performances of the plasmonic structure rely on the degree of asymmetry of cavity. In particular, the plasmonic sensor can detect the refractive index changes as small as 10^-5, and the figure of merit (FOM) of symmetry-breaking cavity structure is 17 times larger than that of symmetrical cavity system. Additionally, the sensitivity to temperature of ethanol analyte achieves 0.701 nm/^○C. Compared with the coupled cavities, the on-chip high-sensitivity sensor using a single cavity is more compact, which paves the way toward highly integrated photonic devices.

Dynamically tunable switch and filter in single slot cavity structure

A single slot cavity coupled with two waveguides has been researched in theory and simulation. The results comparison between theory and simulation shows they agree well. It is found that the lateral displacement S plays an important role in transmission properties. Moreover, increasing the width of the slot cavity results in the emergence of new resonant peaks. At the same time, the shift of the resonant peaks have been explained well. The slot cavity with Kerr nonlinear material can act as a dynamically tunable four channel switch and filter. The single slot cavity has the advantages of simple and compact structure, easy fabrication, and the excellent properties are helpful to control light in photonics circuits.

Optimization of photonic nanojets generated by multilayer microcylinders with a genetic algorithm

We employ a genetic algorithm coupled with Mie theory to optimize the magnetic field intensity profile of photonic nanojets (PNJs) generated by multilayer microcylinders at visible wavelengths in free space. We first optimize five-layer microcylinders to elongate the PNJs. We show that a properly designed five-layer microcylinder structure can generate an ultra-long PNJ with a beam length ~ 107.5 times the illumination wavelength λ₀. We then optimize five-layer microcylinders to narrow the waist of PNJs. We show that a PNJ with a full-width at half maximum waist of ~ 0.22λ₀ can be obtained outside the surface of the optimized microcylinder. In addition, curved PNJs with subwavelength waist are also obtained. We finally optimize the five-layer structures for refractive index sensing based on the beam length of PNJs. The estimated minimum detectable refractive index variation when using this sensing method is ultra-small. Our results could potentially contribute to the development of a new generation of devices for optical nanoscopy and biophotonics, and greatly promote the practical applications of PNJs.

Investigation of A Slow-Light Enhanced Near-Infrared Absorption Spectroscopic Gas Sensor, Based on Hollow-Core Photonic Band-Gap Fiber

Generic modeling and analysis of a slow-light enhanced absorption spectroscopic gas sensor was proposed, using a mode-tuned, hollow-core, photonic band-gap fiber (HC-PBF) as an absorption gas cell. Mode characteristics of the un-infiltrated and infiltrated HC-PBF and gas absorption enhancement of the infiltrated HC-PBF were analyzed. A general rule of microfluidic parameters for targeting different gas species in the near-infrared was obtained. Ammonia (NH₃) was used as an example to explore the effects of slow light on gas detection. The second harmonic (2f) signal and Allan deviation were theoretically investigated based on the derived formulations.

Tunable and high-sensitivity sensing based on Fano resonance with coupled plasmonic cavities

Tunable and high-sensitivity sensing based on Fano resonance is analytically and numerically investigated in coupled plasmonic cavities structure. To analyze and manipulate the Fano line shape, the coupled cavities are taken as a composite cavity that supports at least two resonance modes. A theoretical model is newly-established, and its results agree well with the finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations for the plasmonic stub-pair structure. The detection sensitivity factor in coupled cavities approaches 6.541 × 10⁷ m⁻¹, which is an order of magnitude larger than single stub case. In addition, the wavelengths of resonant modes in the plasmonic stub-pair structure can be adjusted independently, which paves a new way for improving detection sensitivity. These discoveries hold potential applications for realizing tunable and highly integrated photonic devices.

Dual tunable plasmon-induced transparency based on silicon-air grating coupled graphene structure in terahertz metamaterial

A graphene plasmonic structure consists of three graphene layers mingled with a silicon-air grating is proposed. We theoretically predict and numerically simulate the plasmon-induced transparency effect in this system at terahertz wavelengths, and a dual plasmon-induced transparency peaks can be successfully tuned by virtually shifting the desired Fermi energy on graphene layers. We investigate the surface plasmon dispersion relation by means of analytic calculations, and we can achieve the numerical solution of propagation constant got by the dispersion relation. A suitable theoretical model is established to study spectral features in the plasmonic graphene system, and the theoretical results agree well with the simulations. The proposed model and findings may provide guidance for fundamental research of highly tunable optoelectronic devices.

Design of a New Ultracompact Resonant Plasmonic Multi-Analyte Label-Free Biosensing Platform

In this paper, we report on the design of a bio-multisensing platform for the selective label-free detection of protein biomarkers, carried out through a 3D numerical algorithm. The platform includes a number of biosensors, each of them is based on a plasmonic nanocavity, consisting of a periodic metal structure to be deposited on a silicon oxide substrate. Light is strongly confined in a region with extremely small size (=1.57 μm²), to enhance the light-matter interaction. A surface sensitivity S_s = 1.8 nm/nm has been calculated together with a detection limit of 128 pg/mm². Such performance, together with the extremely small footprint, allow the integration of several devices on a single chip to realize extremely compact lab-on-chip microsystems. In addition, each sensing element of the platform has a good chemical stability that is guaranteed by the selection of gold for its fabrication.

Theoretical analysis of ultrahigh figure of merit sensing in plasmonic waveguides with a multimode stub

We propose an expanded coupled mode theory to analyze sensing performance in a plasmonic slot waveguide side-coupled with a multimode stub resonator. It is confirmed by the finite-difference time-domain simulations. Through adjusting the parameters, we can realize figure of merit (FOM) of ∼59,010, and the sensitivity S can reach to 75.7. Compared with the plasmonic waveguide systems in recent Letters, our proposed structure has the advantages of easy fabrication, compactness, sensitivity, and high FOM. The proposed theory model and findings provide guidance for fundamental research of the integrated plasmonic nanosensor applications.

Broadband near total light absorption in non-PT-symmetric waveguide-cavity systems

We introduce broadband waveguide absorbers with near unity absorption. More specifically, we propose a compact non-parity-time-symmetric perfect absorber unit cell, consisting of two metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) stub resonators with unbalanced gain and loss side-coupled to a MDM waveguide, based on unidirectional reflectionlessness at exceptional points. With proper design, light can transport through the perfect absorber unit cell with reflection close to zero in a broad wavelength range. By cascading multiple unit cell structures, the overall absorption spectra are essentially the superposition of the absorption spectra of the individual perfect absorber unit cells, and absorption of ~ 100% is supported in a wide range of frequencies.

Tunable nanoplasmonic sensor based on the asymmetric degree of Fano resonance in MDM waveguide

We first report a simple nanoplasmonic sensor for both universal and slow-light sensing in a Fano resonance-based waveguide system. A theoretical model based on the coupling of resonant modes is provided for the inside physics mechanism, which is supported by the numerical FDTD results. The revealed evolution of the sensing property shows that the Fano asymmetric factor p plays an important role in adjusting the FOM of sensor, and a maximum of ~4800 is obtained when p = 1. Finally, the slow-light sensing in such nanoplasmonic sensor is also investigated. It is found that the contradiction between the sensing width with slow-light (SWS) and the relevant sensitivity can be resolved by tuning the Fano asymmetric factor p and the quality factor of the superradiant mode. The presented theoretical model and the pronounced features of this simple nanoplasmonic sensor, such as the tunable sensing and convenient integration, have significant applications in integrated plasmonic devices.

Unidirectional reflectionless propagation in plasmonic waveguide-cavity systems at exceptional points

We design a non-parity-time-symmetric plasmonic waveguide-cavity system, consisting of two metal-dielectric-metal stub resonators side coupled to a metal-dielectric-metal waveguide, to form an exceptional point, and realize unidirectional reflectionless propagation at the optical communication wavelength. The contrast ratio between the forward and backward reflection almost reaches unity. We show that the presence of material loss in the metal is critical for the realization of the unidirectional reflectionlessness in this plasmonic system. We investigate the realized exceptional point, as well as the associated physical effects of level repulsion, crossing and phase transition. We also show that, by periodically cascading the unidirectional reflectionless plasmonic waveguide-cavity system, we can design a wavelength-scale unidirectional plasmonic waveguide perfect absorber. Our results could be potentially important for developing a new generation of highly compact unidirectional integrated nanoplasmonic devices.

Sensing analysis based on plasmon induced transparency in nanocavity-coupled waveguide

We report the sensing characteristic based on plasmon induced transparency in nanocavity-coupled metal-dielectric-metal waveguide analytically and numerically. A simple model for the sensing nature is first presented by the coupled mode theory. We show that the coupling strength and the resonance detuning play important roles in optimizing the sensing performance and the detection limit of sensor, and an interesting double-peak sensing is also obtained in such plasmonic sensor. In addition, the specific refractive index width of the dielectric environment is discovered in slow-light sensing and the relevant sensitivity can be enhanced. The proposed model and findings provide guidance for fundamental research of the integrated plasmonic nanosensor applications and designs.