A Polished-D-Shape SPR-Based Photonic Crystal Fiber Sensor with High Sensitivity for Measuring Refractive Index

In the correspondence, a novel polished-D-shape photonic crystal fiber sensor structure on the basis of surface plasmon resonance is proposed for measuring analyte refractive index. With the help of the finite element method, sensing performances of the structure have been analyzed through numerical simulations along with a step-by-step optimization. In this design, different capillaries are gathered and processed to form a D-shape silica structure and nano-scale gold material is coated on the flattened surface. With utilization of a thin gold film and solid silica background, the resonance effect is excited and the loss curve has red shift along with an increase in refractive index, which is applied for sensing. From the simulation and calculation results, the final sensor structure achieves the optimal performance where values of maximum and average sensitivity reach 32,000 and 12,167 nm/RIU along with a sensing coverage of refractive index from 1.26 to 1.32. Also, the proposed design obtains a range of resonant wavelength from 1810 to 2540 nm. We believe the proposed sensor can be a potential candidate for organic and biological detection and related applications.

Automated summary

A novel polished-D-shape photonic crystal fiber sensor structure based on surface plasmon resonance is proposed for measuring analyte refractive index. The structure is analyzed through numerical simulations and optimization, achieving optimal performance with maximum and average sensitivities of 32,000 and 12,167 nm/RIU, and a refractive index sensing coverage from 1.26 to 1.32. The proposed sensor design also obtains a range of resonant wavelength from 1810 to 2540 nm, making it a potential candidate for organic and biological detection and related applications.