High-performance Silicon Nitride Grating-coupled SPR Sensors for Gas Detection and Biosensing

Abstract

Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) serves as a crucial optical technique in the realm of chemical sensing. Under specific conditions, the reflectivity of a thin metal film exhibits an exceptional sensitivity to optical changes in the medium on one side. In this investigation, we propose and simulate a plasmonic sensor incorporating a silicon nitride grating with Ag layers for the detection of solution and gas at an optical communication wavelength of 1550 nm. In both cases of the surface diffraction-grating, there is a notable enhancement in angular sensitivity compared to conventional prism-coupled configurations. Simulations, employing rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA), highlight that the suggested sensor, optimized in design parameters, offers notably superior sensitivity, a lower detection limit, and a higher figure of merit (FOM) than existing grating-based SPR sensors. This implies the potential realization of refractive index sensors with a high figure of merit through such streamlined and compact configurations.