Surface Plasmon Sensor Based on a Dual Dielectric–Silver Photonic Crystal

Abstract

We present a new type of biosensor. The principle of operation of the device is similar to conventional surface plasmon sensors, except that the ordinary metallic film in surface plasmon sensors is replaced by a one-dimensional photonic bandgap array. The advantages of using a photonic bandgap structure, instead of a metallic film, include enhanced sensitivity, physical and chemical robustness, and the ability to engineer the optical response of the device. We propose and elaborate a biosensor based on a onedimensional (1D) photonic crystal (PC) with a surface plasmon resonance (SPR). In comparison with standard SPR sensors that use silver (Ag ) or gold (Au) films, PC–Ag–PC–Au structures have narrower resonance widths, lower minimum reflectance, and higher sensitivity, making them a much better choice for biosensing applications. Moreover, the structure is compact (H = 1.139 μm), providing a better option in biosensing in comparison with other PC-SPR and conventional SPR sensors.