Electrical detection of surface plasmon resonance phenomena by a photoelectronic device integrated with gold nanoparticle plasmon antenna

We have proposed a concept of a photoelectronic hybrid device utilizing gold nanoparticles (GNPs), which are supposed to function not only as the plasmon antenna but also as the sensing part. The photocurrent in the fabricated device, consisting of a transparent Nb-doped TiO2 channel and Au electrodes, was enhanced more than eight times at a specific wavelength with GNP arrays located between the electrodes, indicating that surface plasmon resonance was electrically detected with the hybrid device. This result will open new doors for ultra-small biosensor chips integrated with multi-functional solid-state devices. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4792210]