Performance analysis of zinc oxide-implemented lossy mode resonance-based optical fiber refractive index sensor utilizing thin film/nanostructure

A detailed primeval study on the lossy mode resonance (LMR) behavior of zinc oxide (ZnO)-coated optical fiber as a refractive index sensor is carried out. Theoretical evaluation predicts ZnO as a good choice for the LMR-based chemical and gas sensor operating in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. To confirm, the optical fiber probe has been fabricated with an optimized film thickness of ZnO over an unclad core of fiber and characterized. Additionally, an LMR-based nanosensor platform utilizing ZnO has also been investigated to find the compatibility of a nanotechnological LMR sensor. The nanostructured LMR sensors have shown enhanced sensitivity in comparison to a bulk layered probe. (C) 2017 Optical Society of America.