Design and numerical analysis of a circular SPR based PCF biosensor for aqueous environments

Abstract

This paper presents the design and numerical analysis of a circular photonic crystal fiber (PCF) biosensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for aqueous environments. The proposed biosensor has a geometrical design that uses the cladding at the fiber's exterior to simplify the gold and analyte deposition process. The sensing characteristics and performances of the proposed biosensor are fully investigated with the finite element method. The investigation indicates that the plasmonic material's thickness affects the biosensor's performance. The results of the proposed biosensor demonstrate a wide refractive index range of 1.30 to 1.44, with the highest wavelength or spectral sensitivity as 21,000 nm/RIU and the highest resolution as 9.09×10−6 RIU. The proposed biosensor has a straightforward geometric profile. The proposed biosensor is stable and suited for aqueous surroundings and wide-range detection applications.

Keywords

• Biosensor
• Photonic crystal fiber
• Surface plasmon resonance
• Wide-ranged
• Refractive index
• Aqueous environments