In this paper, a side-coupled triangle cavity in a plasmonic waveguide structure is proposed and numerically analyzed by the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and coupled mode theory (CMT). Triple plasmonically induced transparency (PIT) was achieved when an extra triangle was added into the structure, and the transmission characteristics were investigated. This novel structure has a maximal sensitivity of 933 nm/RIU when used as a sensor and a contrast ratio of 4 dB. Moreover, the tunability of PIT can be realized by filling the nematic liquid crystal (NLC) E7 into the triangles. The refractive index of E7 changes with the applied electric field. Given that E7 is also sensitive to temperature, this structure can be used as a temperature sensor with a sensitivity of 0.29 nm/°C. It is believed that this tunable structure with PIT may have potential applications in highly integrated optical circuits.
