Refractometric sensor utilizing a vertically coupled polymeric microdisk resonator incorporating a high refractive index overlay

A refractometric sensor resorting to a vertically coupled polymeric microdisk resonator was demonstrated, estimating the refractive index (RI) of an analyte by monitoring the resonant wavelength shift in its transfer characteristics. The disk resonator was especially overlaid with a high RI TiO2 film, thereby reinforcing the interaction of the evanescent field of its guided mode with the analyte. The sensitivity of the sensor was theoretically and experimentally confirmed to be enhanced by adjusting the overlay thickness. The fabricated sensor provided the maximum sensitivity of approximately 294 nm/RIU (refractive index unit) with the 40-nm-thick overlay, which is equivalent to an improvement of 150% compared with the case without the overlay.