We present a new optical biosensor technique based on registration of dual optical s-polarized modes on a photonic crystal surface. The simultaneous registration of two optical surface waves with different evanescent depths from the same surface spot permits the segregation of the volume and the surface contributions from an analyte, while the absence of metal damping permits an increase in the propagation length of the optical surface waves and the sensitivity of the biosensor. Our technique was tested with the binding of biotin molecules to a streptavidin monolayer that has been detected with signal/noise ratio of approximately 15 at 1-s signal accumulation time. The detection limit is approximately 20 fg of the analyte on the probed spot of the surface.

We present experimental results on ultralong-range surface plasmon polaritons, propagating in a thin metal film on a one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystal surface over a distance of several millimeters. This propagation length is about 2 orders of magnitude higher than the one in the ordinary Kretschmann configuration at the same optical frequency. We show that a long-range surface plasmon polaritons propagation may take place not only in a (quasi)symmetrical scheme, where a thin metal film is located between two media with (approximately) the same refraction index, but also in a scheme where the thin metal film is located between an appropriate 1D photonic crystal and an arbitrary (air, water, etc.) medium. The ultralong-range surface plasmon polaritons are potentially important for biosensors, plasmonics, and other applications.

A label-free biosensor device based on registration of photonic crystal surface waves is described. Angular interrogation of the optical surface wave resonance is used to detect changes in the thickness of an adsorbed layer, while an additional simultaneous detection of the critical angle of total internal reflection provides independent data of the liquid refractive index. The abilities of the device are demonstrated by measuring of biotin molecule binding to a streptavidin monolayer, and by measuring association and dissociation kinetics of immunoglobulin G proteins. Additionally, deposition of PSS/PAH polyelectrolytes is recorded in situ resulting calculation of PSS and PAH monolayer thicknesses separately.

Registration of long-range surface plasmon resonance by angle-scanning feedback and its implementation for optical hydrogen sensing Valery N Konopsky, Dmitry V Basmanov, Elena V Alieva et al. Abstract. The propagation of bound optical waves along the surface of a one-dimensional (1D) photonic crystal (PC) structure is considered. A unified description of the waves in 1D PCs for both s-and p-polarizations is done via an impedance approach. A general dispersion relation that is valid for optical surface waves with both polarizations is obtained, and conditions are presented for long-range propagation of plasmon-polariton waves in nanofilms (including lossy ones) deposited on the top of the 1D PC structure. A method is described for designing 1D PC structures to fulfill the conditions required for the existence of the surface mode with a particular wavevector at a particular wavelength. It is shown that the propagation length of the long-range surface plasmon polaritons in a thin metal film can be maximized by wavelength tuning, which introduces a slight asymmetry in the system.

Efficient nonlinear conversion requires that interacting optical waves maintain a consistent phase relationship when traveling in a medium despite its dispersion. Birefringent phase-matching, which is often used to compensate for the dispersion, is not applicable to optically isotropic nonlinear materials. Here, we present a one-dimensional photonic crystal structure that allows the propagation of optical surface waves, both at the fundamental and third-harmonic frequencies, as an efficient medium for phase-matched third-harmonic generation. A unique advantage of this structure is that the effective refractive indices for the surface waves are similar to the refractive index of air at both frequencies. This allows phase-matching between the first and third harmonics, and a visible collinear beam of the third harmonic is produced at the prism-coupled output. Moreover, these optical surface waves propagate over long distances even if a lossy nonlinear nanofilm is deposited onto the photonic crystal surface. We provide experimental results for third-harmonic generation at a wavelength of 410 nm for a bare dielectric Ta2O5/SiO2 multilayer structure and for the same structure coated with a 15-nm GaAs film.