Surface plasmon resonance temperature sensor with tunable detection range based on a silver-coated multi-hole optical...

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Optical Sensors
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) sensors offer high sensitivity for detecting physical and chemical changes.
• Optical fiber sensors provide advantages like remote sensing, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and miniaturization.
• Temperature sensing is crucial in diverse fields, including healthcare, environmental monitoring, and industrial processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a novel SPR temperature sensor.
• To investigate the sensor's performance based on spectral shifts of resonance dips.
• To explore the sensor's potential for tunable detection ranges and high sensitivity.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a silver-coated multi-hole optical fiber (SMHOF).
• Filling the fiber's air holes with two thermosensitive liquids of different refractive indices (RI).
• Analyzing the transmission spectrum to observe and measure shifts in two separated resonance dips with temperature variations.

Main Results:

• Two distinct SPR resonance dips were observed, corresponding to the high and low RI liquids.
• The resonance dips shifted in opposite directions with temperature changes, exhibiting good linearity in their interval.
• Achieved temperature sensitivities of 7.72 nm/°C (20-60 °C) and -7.81 nm/°C (-20-20 °C).

Conclusions:

• The proposed SMHOF-based SPR sensor demonstrates high temperature sensitivity and a tunable detection range.
• The sensor's unique characteristic of opposite spectral shifts allows for robust temperature measurement.
• Potential applications in biomedicine, healthcare, and environmental monitoring are highlighted due to its performance.