Tunable Plasmonic Resonance Sensor Using a Metamaterial Film in a D-Shaped Photonic Crystal Fiber for Refractive Index Measurements

Subwavelength cells of metallic nanorods arrayed in a dielectric background, termed metamaterials, present bulk properties that are useful to control and manipulate surface plasmon resonances. Such feature finds tremendous potential in providing a broad manifold of applications for plasmonic optical sensors. In this paper, we propose a surface-plasmon-resonance-based sensor with spectral response tunable by the volume fraction of silver present in a metamaterial layer deposited on a D-shaped photonic crystal fiber. Using computational simulations, we show that sensitivity and resolution can be hugely altered by changing the amount of constituents in the metamaterial, with no further modifications in the structure of the sensor. Moreover, the designed sensor can also be applied to label the average volume fraction of silver in the metamaterial layer and then to estimate its effective constitutive parameters.

Automated summary

This paper proposes a surface-plasmon-resonance-based sensor that allows for tuning of the spectral response by adjusting the volume fraction of silver. The sensitivity and resolution of the sensor can be greatly altered by changing the amounts of constituents in the metamaterial. Additionally, the sensor can be used to label the average volume fraction of silver in the metamaterial layer and estimate its effective constitutive parameters.