Analytic design and visualization of multiple surface plasmon resonance excitation using angular spectrum...

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics and Photonics
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Computational Physics

Background:

• Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) is a sensitive optical phenomenon used for detecting molecular interactions and analyzing thin films.
• Excitation of Multiple Surface Plasmon Resonance (MSPR) modes offers enhanced sensitivity and richer information compared to single SPR.
• Accurate simulation and design methods are crucial for optimizing MSPR-based devices and sensors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an exact and efficient method for the design, analysis, and visualization of MSPR mode excitation.
• To investigate MSPR phenomena in a specific structure comprising polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) and a gold thin film.
• To validate the proposed simulation technique through experimental verification.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a recursive transfer matrix method (R-TMM) for accurate optical simulation of thin-film structures.
• Incorporated Gaussian angular spectrum decomposition for analyzing the response to an angle-modulated Gaussian incident beam.
• Employed the Kretchmann-Raether attenuated total reflection (ATR) geometry for both simulation and experimental setups.

Main Results:

• Successfully simulated and visualized MSPR mode excitation phenomena in the optimized PMMA/gold thin-film structure.
• Experimental results confirmed the accuracy and validity of the proposed R-TMM and Gaussian angular spectrum simulation method.
• Demonstrated the method's capability to precisely illustrate the response under ATR conditions with modulated incident beams.

Conclusions:

• The developed fast and exact R-TMM with Gaussian angular spectrum decomposition is a powerful tool for MSPR analysis.
• This simulation approach can be widely applied to the design and analysis of various metal- and dielectric-based thin-film structures.
• The findings contribute to the advancement of optical sensing technologies and nanophotonic device design.