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Ultrasmooth metallic films with buried nanostructures for backside reflection-mode plasmonic biosensing
Nathan C Lindquist1, Timothy W Johnson, Jincy Jose
1Laboratory of Nanostructures and Biosensing, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA.
Annalen Der Physik
|October 26, 2013
Summary
We developed a novel plasmonic device with buried nanostructures on ultrasmooth surfaces for advanced biosensing. This architecture enables sensitive detection of opaque liquids using backside reflection-mode imaging.
Area of Science:
- Nanophotonics
- Plasmonics
- Biosensing
Background:
- Traditional surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors face limitations with opaque or scattering samples.
- Achieving ultrasmooth surfaces is crucial for high-performance plasmonic devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new plasmonic device architecture featuring buried nanostructures.
- To demonstrate its utility for biosensing applications, particularly with challenging liquid samples.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing template-stripping techniques to create ultrathin gold films (<5 Å roughness).
- Optically coupling these films to buried metallic gratings, rings, or nanodots.
- Implementing a backside, reflection-mode geometry for decoupled optical and fluidic access.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a prototypical device with buried linear plasmonic gratings for biosensing.
- Achieved high sensitivity and decoupled optical access, similar to prism-based SPR.
- Enabled sensing with opaque and highly scattering liquids.
- Showcased benefits of nanoplasmonics like spectral tunability and wide-field imaging.
Conclusions:
- The new architecture offers a versatile platform for biosensing with enhanced capabilities.
- The design is suitable for various applications including nanophotonic waveguides and spectroscopy.
- Ultrasmooth surfaces with buried nanostructures represent a significant advancement in plasmonic device design.
