Highly sensitive pressure and temperature induced SPP resonance shift at gold nanohole arrays

Short range ordered (SRO) plasmonic nanohole arrays have a distinct surface plasmon polariton resonance in the visible region and exhibit an excellent sensing capability toward changes in the surrounding refractive index. While SRO and perfectly ordered plasmonic hole arrays have similar sensing properties, SRO arrays have clear advantages in fabrication, simplicity, and scalability. In this study, we use SRO gold nanoholes, which are subjected to pressure and temperature cycles, for vacuum and temperature sensing. The response of the transmission spectra to pressure changes in the range 10^-3-10⁵ Pa and temperature scans in the range 20-400 °C was recorded. Upon pressure cycling, a reversible response was observed. Upon initial temperature annealing, an irreversible blue shift in the resonance dip position was observed. Upon further temperature cycling, the resonance dip position shifts reversibly, with a notable red shift upon temperature increase. The results are discussed and interpreted based on possible molecular adsorption/desorption upon pressure cycling and in terms of the gold film's recrystallization, thermal expansion, and free electron density variations.