Side-Opened Hollow Fiber-Based SPR Sensor for High Refractive Index Detection.

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical Sensing

Background:

• Microstructured optical fiber sensors are crucial for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) applications.
• High refractive index (RI) detection presents challenges for existing SPR sensor designs.
• Fabrication and operational complexities can limit the practical use of SPR sensors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and investigate a novel hollow fiber-based SPR sensor for high RI detection.
• To evaluate the sensing performance of the proposed sensor in two distinct operational schemes.
• To demonstrate the sensor's advantages in terms of fabrication, operation, and sensitivity.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a hollow fiber-based SPR sensor with a side opening and gold coating.
• Investigation of sensing performance using analytes with RI ranging from 1.48 to 1.54.
• Comparison of two schemes: filling the fiber core with analyte (Scheme A) and immersing the sensor in analyte (Scheme B).

Main Results:

• The proposed sensor achieved a maximum wavelength sensitivity of 12,320 nm/RIU in Scheme A.
• The sensor exhibited a maximum amplitude sensitivity of 1146 RIU^-1 in Scheme B.
• The sensor demonstrated high RI detection capabilities with enhanced real-time detection.

Conclusions:

• The developed hollow fiber SPR sensor offers a simple fabrication process and flexible operation.
• The sensor provides high wavelength and amplitude sensitivities, suitable for high RI detection.
• This sensor design is competitive for various SPR sensing applications requiring precise measurements.