Highly sensitive open channel based PCF-SPR sensor for analyte refractive index sensing

The control of light in photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is a special characteristic that is obtained due to the relations between material and light. In this paper, a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based PCF sensor is introduced with two open-channel which cover an extensive field of bio-detection applications. Gold (Au) is considered as an effective plasmonic ingredient. The transformation of light through the fiber core is coupled with the gold and stimulates SPR. The proposed PCF-SPR sensor reports the highest wavelength sensitivity (WS) of 7000 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) as well as an amplitude sensitivity (AS) of 593.61 RIU-1. It also acquires an increased sensor resolution of 1.43 x 10-5 RIU and a decent figure of merit (FOM) is 94.97 RIU-1. Additionally, the operating constraints of the sensor such as corresponding air-holes diameter, the pitch, gold layer (Au) thickness and open-channel radius are revised to improve detection performance. The overall measurement is carried out over a broad range of variations in refractive index (RI) from 1.33 to 1.40. The sensor's appreciable performance makes it suitable for bio-sensing applications.

Automated summary

This paper presents a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based photonic crystal fiber (PCF) sensor that achieves light transmission and SPR excitation through the combination with gold material. It demonstrates high wavelength sensitivity and amplitude sensitivity, making it suitable for bio-detection applications.