Surface plasmon-like sensor based on surface electromagnetic waves in a photonic band-gap material

The design and operating principles of a new type of surface electromagnetic wave sensor are described and demonstrated. The method of operation of this device is similar to surface plasmon sensors except that the surface-active material-a metal film in the case of surface plasmon sensors-is replaced by a one-dimensional photonic band-gap array. The advantages of using a photonic band-gap material instead of a metal film include enhanced sensitivity, physical, and chemical robustness, and the ability to engineer the optical response of the surface active layer to create a device that operates at any optical wavelength. Experimental results are presented that illustrate sensing action by measuring the shift in the surface mode coupling angle with surface loading. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.