Plasmon excitation by the gaussian-like core mode of a photonic crystal waveguide

US7460238B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• CORPORATION DE L'ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE DE MONTREAL · CA

Inventors

• Maksim Skorobogatiy · Watertown, US
• Andrei V. Kabashin · Thurso, CA

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 24, 2007
• Grant date: Dec 2, 2008
• Expiry date: Jun 4, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B6/02352
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A sensor and method for surface plasmon resonance sensing, wherein a small variation of the refractive index of an ambient medium results in a large variation of loss of a sensing mode. The surface plasmon resonance sensor comprises an antiguiding waveguide including a core characterized by a refractive index and a reflector surrounding the core. The reflector has an external surface and is characterized by a band gap and a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the core. A coating is deposited on the external surface of the core, the coating defining with the ambient medium a coating/ambient medium interface. In operation, the coating is in contact with the ambient medium, and the antiguiding waveguide is supplied with an electromagnetic radiation to (a) propagate a mode for sensing having an effective refractive index lower than the refractive index of the core and higher than a refractive index of an ambient medium and (b) produce surface plasmons at the coating/ambient medium interface. The mode for sensing is phase-matched with the surface plasmons at a wavelength within the band gap and a variation of the refractive index of the ambient medium results in a varia…