Surface plasmon resonance based tapered fiber optic sensor with different taper profiles

A theoretical model for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based tapered fiber optic sensor is proposed with three different taper profiles, namely, linear, parabolic, and exponential-linear. The effect of taper ratio and taper profiles on the sensor's performance is studied in detail and the design considerations for significantly enhanced sensitivity are reported. The study shows that the exponential-linear taper profile with high taper ratio provides the best performance. The physical reasons behind sensitivity enhancement due to taper ratio and taper profile are given, wherever required. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.