On the performance of a tunable grating-based high sensitivity unidirectional plasmonic sensor

Optical biosensing is currently an intensively active research area, with an increasing demand of highly selective, sensitivity-enhanced and low-cost devices where different plasmonic approaches have been developed. In this work we propose a tunable optimized grating-based gold metasurface that can act both as a high sensitivity sensor device (up to 1500 nm/RIU) and as an unidirectional plasmon source. The theory behind surface plasmon polariton generation is recalled to thoroughly understand the influence that every parameter of the grating source has on the performance of the proposed device. The results and conclusions discussed here offer a key step toward the design of biosensors based on excitation of surface plasmons polaritons by grating-based structures or in the process of creating new nanophotonic circuit devices. (C) 2021 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement.

Automated summary

Optical biosensing is a highly active research area in demand of selective, sensitivity-enhanced, and low-cost devices. This work proposes a novel grating-based gold metasurface that acts as both a high sensitivity sensor and unidirectional plasmon source. Understanding the influence of each parameter on the device's performance is crucial for designing biosensors based on grating structures.