One-Dimensional Photonic Crystals with Different Termination Layer Thicknesses and Very Narrow Bloch Surface Wave and Guided Wave Based Resonances for Sensing Applications

We demonstrate an efficient sensing of both gaseous and aqueous analytes utilizing Bloch surface waves (BSWs) and guided waves (GWs) excited on a truncated one-dimensional photonic crystal (1DPhC) composed of six TiO2/SiO2 bilayers with a termination layer of TiO2. For the gaseous analytes, we show that 1DPhC can support the GW excited by an s-polarized wave and the theoretical shift of the resonance wavelength is linear for small changes in the analyte refractive index (RI), giving a constant RI sensitivity of 87 nm per RI unit (RIU). In addition, for the aqueous analytes, the GW excited by s-polarized and BSW by p-polarized waves can be resolved and exploited for sensing applications. We compare two designed and realized 1DPhCs with termination layer thicknesses of 60 nm and 50 nm, respectively, and show experimentally the differences in their very narrow reflectance and phase responses. An RI sensitivity and figure of merit as high as 544.3 nm/RIU and 303 RIU-1, respectively, are obtained for the smaller thickness when both s- and p-polarized BSWs are excited. This is the first demonstration of both very deep BSW-based resonances in two orthogonal polarizations and a very narrow resonance in one of them.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates an efficient sensing method for both gaseous and aqueous analytes using Bloch surface waves (BSWs) and guided waves (GWs) on a truncated one-dimensional photonic crystal (1DPhC). The study shows that the 1DPhC can support guided waves excited by an s-polarized wave for gaseous analytes, and both s-polarized and p-polarized waves can be utilized for sensing applications in aqueous analytes. This is the first demonstration of deep BSW-based resonances in two orthogonal polarizations and a narrow resonance in one of them.