Numerical Study to Enhance the Sensitivity of a Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor with BlueP/WS₂-Covered Al₂O₃-Nickel...

In the traditional surface plasmon resonance sensor, the sensitivity is calculated by the usage of angular interrogation. The proposed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor uses a diamagnetic material (Al₂O₃), nickel (Ni), and two-dimensional (2D) BlueP/WS₂ (blue phosphorous-tungsten di-sulfide). The Al₂O₃ sheet is sandwiched between silver (Ag) and nickel (Ni) films in the Kretschmann configuration. A mathematical simulation is performed to improve the sensitivity of an SPR sensor in the visible region at a frequency of 633 nm. The simulation results show that an upgraded sensitivity of 332°/RIU is achieved for the metallic arrangement consisting of 17 nm of Al₂O₃ and 4 nm of Ni in thickness for analyte refractive indices ranging from 1.330 to 1.335. The thickness variation of the layers plays a curial role in enhancing the performance of the SPR sensor. The thickness variation of the proposed configuration containing 20 nm of Al₂O₃ and 1 nm of Ni with a monolayer of 2D material BlueP/WS₂ enhances the sensitivity to as high as 374°/RIU. Furthermore, it is found that the sensitivity can be altered and managed by means of altering the film portions of Ni and Al₂O₃.