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Ultrasensitive plasmonic sensing in air using optical fibre spectral combs
Christophe Caucheteur1, Tuan Guo2, Fu Liu2
1Department of Electromagnetism and Telecommunication, University of Mons, Boulevard Dolez 31, 7000 Mons, Belgium.
Nature Communications
|November 12, 2016
Summary
This study introduces a novel plasmonic optical fibre sensor for detecting refractive index changes in air. The gold-coated grating platform enables highly sensitive gas sensing, even detecting acoustic waves.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and optical sensing
- Nanotechnology and plasmonics
- Fiber optic sensors
Background:
- Surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) on metal-coated optical fibers allow refractive index monitoring.
- Existing configurations are limited to liquid environments due to permittivity mismatches.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a plasmonic optical fibre platform capable of sensing in air.
- To overcome limitations of previous SPP fiber sensor designs.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a gold-coated highly tilted Bragg grating on an optical fibre.
- Excitation of narrowband cladding modes with effective indices near or below 1.0.
- Spectral interrogation to monitor SPP-matched resonance shifts and dynamic acoustic wave detection.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated a plasmonic fiber sensor operating effectively in air.
- Measured atmospheric pressure changes via shifts in SPP-matched resonances.
- Achieved a resolution of 10-8 refractive index unit (RIU) for acoustic wave detection.
Conclusions:
- The developed grating architecture enables SPP excitation and sensing in gaseous environments.
- This platform opens new avenues for highly sensitive plasmonic gas sensing.
- The sensor shows potential for detecting subtle environmental changes and acoustic phenomena.
